A Demon's Heart
by Apollomon x Stingmon
Summary: In a world where Darkness reigns, the Great Demon Lords ruled over all. But who ever said that a Demon couldn't have a little light within all that darkness, or to dare to love. AU. Pre-Digimon 01/02.
1. The Abandoned Child

_Humans are such strange creatures._ He had remembered reading about the Humans a long time ago, when he was just a Child, looking to stop the war like so many others. He had actually been surprised that he remembered the stories of the Human World. It had been several centuries since he'd been a naive Child. He gazed at the Humans as they attempted to hide from the rain. _They're so civilized and yet…_ He continued to study the Humans as they ran to find shelter from the pouring rain that descended from above. Many ran into their respective homes, while others remained in one of the many alleyways that had some cover for the rain. A frown graced his features as he saw a well-groomed man ignoring a homeless man, pushing him into a puddle in the process when he didn't get out of the way fast enough. _They are not so civil as I thought. They are so self-centered creatures, so heartless, and uncaring. Just like the Holy Alliance._

His wings twitched as he sat on the rooftop of one of the many tall buildings of Tokyo. The rain felt nice against his back as the thunder clouds roared, creating a frightening sound that could startle even Beelzebumon. Truly, it was a sight to behold to see the rain pouring down on the city, the lightning flashing across the dark sky as thunder cracked and roared. Lucemon found it relaxing, after the week he had. It had been rather tiring trying to handle the remaining rebellions of the Holy Alliance that was left from the war, who still sought their destruction. He scowled at the very thought of them.

The Holy Alliance had attempted to reduce their numbers, killing them off as if they were nothing but dead weight. For centuries, they had been afraid of being labeled as a Dark or Evil Digimon, an abomination to their world, Demons, and even monsters just because they were Virus Digimon with the abilities to control darkness. He shook his head sadly. The fight to survive back then was truly terrifying. It had been kill or be killed; there was no in between. It was either abandon their morals and 'Evil allegiance' or die at the hands of the Holy Alliance. It had been a horrible, lonely existence to be a Digimon belonging to a Demon Man, Virus, Nightmare Solider, or any Digimon with an association or evolution line of darkness.

He gazed at the little Humans. They were lucky at best. Their little problems were nothing compared to theirs. They had to fight to survive. They had once tried to reason with the Holy Alliance. They were all Digimon; they could all live together in the Digital World, peacefully. But the Holy Alliance had their own ideas and values for a better world that they had so often proclaimed and _Demons_ (as the Holy Digimon called them) had no part in their perfect little world. They wanted a world where no evil existed; where only Digimon of the good and followers of the Light flourished and thrived, while all others were condemned to their deaths and execution.

Lucemon would have laughed at that thought. It was funny how things turned out. They — the ones that had called them heartless, cruel, slaves of evil, murderers, and monsters — were the ones who took the first strike, killing an innocent Baby I; thus, starting a vicious and bloody war that lasted for five millenniums. While they — the Digimon that were supposed to be evil murderers and monsters — were the ones that never touched a Holy Digimon until the day they took one of theirs. The war had been bloody and ugly. The Holy Angels and their Alliance believed they were the superior beings. They had believed they would win the war and exterminate those that they saw would corrupt their positive image of a peaceful world. They had been so wrong.

The Holy Alliance had not taken into account the magnitude of the hidden powers and inner strength (fueled by their overwhelming hatred and anger) that would have been unleashed when they killed the innocent Baby I. The Holy Alliance had dug their own graves when they decided to rage war against them by killing his younger brother.

Thunder cracked and roared above him as his thoughts turned to one of despair. Puttimon never had a chance to live his life and now he was gone. And it would be impossible for him to be reborn. His data had been completely obliterated by the attack. He was gone, forever.

This was one of the reasons he came to the Human World. Lucemon was the leader of the Demon Lords. He could not afford to bother anyone with his problems. They were having enough trouble rebuilding their world after the war. There was a lot of work to be done and he couldn't afford to look anything but the cunning, prideful, and very resourceful Demon Lord of Pride. "Puttimon." But now, as he sat on the rooftop buildings of Tokyo, he realized that he could allow himself to feel the sadness that had been building in his heart for centuries. Lucemon sighed softly as he allowed blue eyes to hide behind eyelids that were slowly beginning to shut, blocking his view of the world. "I'm sorry I couldn't save you."

"Waaah-waaah!"

"Hmm?!" Lucemon's eyes snapped open as the sound of a little one reached his ears. He frowned. The crying of the little one sounded distressed and scared. Lucemon's frown deepened as the sound of a crying baby got louder. Lucemon turned his gaze down and saw a Human Male walking with a basket in his hand. It was hard to tell what the man looked like. All he could see was that the man was tall, yet gruff. The man also seemed to have an aura of grief around him as his posture was slouched and rigged and his movements were slow as he walked through the chilly December night with nothing but an old thin jacket on. Lucemon vaguely wondered what would cause such grief in a man and honestly felt bad for him. He must have gone through a great loss.

"Waaah-waaah!"

Lucemon's eyes widened as the wailing that he had been hearing concentrated from the basket that the Human was carrying. Whatever sympathy Lucemon had for the Human dispersed as he shook the basket violently, uncaring of the delicate cargo in his hands.

Lucemon soon felt a long forgotten urge (that felt so foreign, yet familiar) to follow as the man walked passed the building he was sitting on. It had been centuries since he felt this way. He hadn't felt this way since his brother's death. But as the distressed and frightened wails of a terrified baby drummed into his ears, Lucemon found himself listening to his long forgotten instincts — to protect.

What Lucemon did next was nearly second nature to him as he jumped off the ledge of the rooftop and melted into the shadows. Lucemon used the skills he had learned from the war to his advantage by using the very darkness of the shadows and night to conceal his presence as he followed the Human. He had to, unfortunately, restrain himself to not attack the pathetic Human Male as he continued to shake the basket in an attempt to silence the wailing baby. Lucemon gritted his teeth as he felt the urge to protect. His instincts were screaming that the little one should not be treated this way. He was far too young. Too young to understand what was happening, to know from right from wrong. This mistreatment was not acceptable at all.

Lucemon, quietly, followed the man with a heavy heart as he walked into a dark alleyway, that was a good distance away from the main city. Lucemon noticed the alleyway was dark and void of any life or the junk that the Humans seemed to litter the ground with. The place was so isolated that it could be the perfect dumping ground to kill someone. Or to abandon a helpless baby to the bitter elements of a chilly December night. Lucemon's blood ran cold as he realized that was exactly what was happening.

Cold blue eyes snapped toward the Human Male as the crying got louder and more frantic. Lucemon watched in absolute horror as his fears became a reality. As he watched the Human drop the basket that contained the innocent, defenseless baby, Lucemon, for a brief moment, felt as if he was reliving his brother's death. Lucemon had been a helpless, weak Child back then. He had not been fast enough, nor powerful enough, to protect his brother from the torture he had been forced to endure (and later execution) by the Holy Alliance when they realized they had failed to persuade Lucemon in joining their ranks for he had been the smartest and most cunning of Angel Vaccines to ever live. However, as the basket landed into a puddle, Lucemon realized that he was no longer that weak and defenseless Child anymore. He had evolved far passed that level and grew with enormous powers for that of a Perfect. He had surpassed the Ultimates that had harmed his brother and had destroyed them for their part in his death.

"Shut up!" Lucemon's cold eyes snapped to the small baby as he shivered violently in his basket. Lucemon's heart broke as he watched the innocent child cry in his basket as he clung to a tattered brown blanket. The blanket, however, had been soaked through as a result of the pouring rain from the heavens above and from the puddle that the poor baby had been dropped into.

Lucemon's face darkened as the Human Male snatched the baby's only source of protection from the bitter cold. "You don't deserve this! Not after what you've done!"

Lucemon, for once, was glad it was too dark for anyone to see him. He wasn't sure how the little one would react if he saw a frightening looking angel staring down at the Human Male with the intent to kill. However, Lucemon's rage would only grow tenfold as he took in the magnitude of neglect the poor child had been endured to in his short life. The blanket, he realized, had been the baby's _only_ possession. The Human Male had left the little one without any clothing. No shirt. No pants. No little socks or shoes. No diaper. No nothing. The little one was completely bare. But on his bare, fair skin were huge adult size bruises.

"Waaah-waaah!"

The bruises were the shape of fingers.

"Quiet!"

Lucemon stood to his full height as he stepped out of the shadows and directly behind the Human Male. He towered over the man, glaring at him with more hatred and disgust then he had ever felt before. _How dare he?_ His hatred only grew as the man yelled at the baby, who was shivering from the cold and crying in fear. _How dare he harm an innocent child?_

"It's your fault she's dead! You should have never been born!"

Lucemon could not believe his ears. This man (who he was assuming was the child's father) was blaming the innocent baby for the death of his mate. Lucemon, for a brief moment, felt an ounce of sadness for the man. The man's grief was because he lost his mate when she gave birth to their child. But that feeling disappeared as fast as it came. Harming this innocent child (who looked to be barely a day old) and condemning him to his death was not all right with him. It reminded him too much of how his younger brother's life had been cut short for similar reasons.

"I hope you enjoyed your little time in this world," Lucemon's blood boiled at the amount of hatred that was being directed at the frightened newborn, "for it will be your last."

Lucemon would have struck the man with his **Dead or Alive** attack right there and then, but he froze for half a second when wet, terrified eyes caught sight of him. Lucemon was in a complete awe. He had never seen such a unique shade of violet in all the centuries he'd been alive. Lucemon could tell that the little one was very special. It was all in his eyes. Despite the fear (not being directed at him, surprisingly), Lucemon could see a great amount of intelligence in those violet orbs. _He could do great things in the future,_ Lucemon thought silently, _I can see it._ Lucemon smiled at the child as he saw him lifting his small arms to him, silently asking for his help, wanting to be protected from the cruelty he was being forced to endure, wanting to feel the warmth of another, to not feel the bitter cold that was licking his delicate skin, and lastly — to be loved. A love that he should have been receiving since the moment he was brought into this world.

Lucemon was more than willing to oblige to the little one's needs. _He will not die. I will not allow it._

Lucemon returned his focus to the Human Male that he despised more than anything in the Digital World, as he scoffed at the newborn. The man was unaware of the enraged Perfect behind him, most likely thinking that the newborn was reaching for him for protection and love that would not be returned. Lucemon would have laughed at that thought. The baby knew who was the monster between the two of them and, ironically, it was not him this time. The baby wanted his protection. He, a Demon Lord, a Digimon, and not one of his own kind. This made him wonder if the child could sense that he would never harm an innocent, that he, Lucemon, the Demon Lord of Pride, would protect him from this cruelty. But, no one, not even the other members of his group, had ever seen Lucemon wanting to protect another that was not out of duty or pride. Lucemon hadn't shown that side of him since the death of his sweet, innocent brother.

Lucemon gazed down at the man coldly as the man took that moment to turn his back to the newborn (ignoring his terrified cries) and bumped head first into his chest.

Lucemon found it to be poetic justice when the man staggered back in shock, landing butt first into a puddle that was slightly bigger than the one he had dropped the baby into and getting drenched in the process. Yes, there was definitely poetic justice in that. Lucemon scowled menacingly at the man in front of him. Thankfully, the little one had none of the man's features. The man's face was too round and narrow, and his face was covered with hair that seemed to center solely around his cheeks, chin and upper lip. His eyes were a dull black and his nose seemed somewhat on the flat side. His hair was a short brown mess (which seemed to have not been touched in a while) and he smelled of a strange odor. It reminded him of the sake that Barbamon drinks when he gets irritated (which was almost all the time). This made Lucemon wonder how much had this man been drinking and what other injuries had he caused to the little one's frail body?

"Wh-who are you?" The fear that laced the man's words filled Lucemon with a hit of pride and satisfaction, but not by much. The amount of fear that the man was feeling by just the mere sight of him was nothing in comparison to the overwhelming fear that the little one must be feeling. Lucemon wanted the man to suffer for every bruise exposed on the newborn's fair skin, for every tear that leaked from his pretty, innocent eyes, and for every minute the newborn had to go without any warmth, love, affection, or food in his small tummy. "What the hell are you?"

Lucemon towered over the shivering man (flexing his wings as he did so) as he stared up at him with widened, frightened, brown orbs. "I am the Being that holds both the great divine of creation and the diabolic destruction of the world. I am both God and Devil, Human." Lucemon enjoyed the panic and fear in the man as his voice, filled with hate and malice, reached the man's ears. Lucemon did take note that the small child's crying had reduced to mere whimpers and soft sobs when he stepped out to confront the man. He mentally frowned as he took notice of the small movements the child was doing. The small child must be freezing, he realized, he would have to deal with the man swiftly. "I am your worst nightmare," as Lucemon spoke those words the man screamed as Lucemon grabbed him, pulling him into the shadows and towards the open sky.

Lucemon flew high above the sky with the screaming man in his hands. "Where are you taking me?" the man asked as they flew further into the abandon, rundown town of an older Japan that had been long forgotten and left to ruins. Lucemon took note that the Humans never even bothered to save this place. They just left and started anew. Despite how narrow-minded and wasteful Lucemon thought the Humans were, he found that it was the perfect place to land. Besides, there wasn't a single soul to see a frightening angel hovering over an abandoned town with a terrified human in his hands.

"Tell me, _Human_ ," Lucemon hissed as he lifted the man to his face, "what is his name?"

"Wha-what? Who?" The man was as white as his holy angel feathers.

Lucemon growled as he pulled the man closer. Their noses were mere inches away from touching each other. "The child, Human! The one you were, so obviously, going to leave out here to die!"

The man trembled in his arms. "K-Ken," the man stuttered, "his name is Ken."

"Ken." The name was simple, yet the meaning held a lot of weight. _Strong._ That was what the name meant if Lucemon remembered correctly. _It fits him perfectly_ , Lucemon realized, _he must be, in order to survive this long with his creature._

Lucemon hadn't noticed the soft tone in his voice or the way his features seemed to soften as he thought about the newborn. This, however, gave the Human the wrong impression to foolishly (and stupidly) act brave when he was obviously in a terrible, deadly, position. "Why do you care? He's nothing. He's not worth knowing about."

The Human had, unknowingly, said the very words that would sentence him to his own death.

Lucemon felt something snap inside of him at the lack of compassion the man had for the defenseless child. Lucemon did nothing to suppress the overwhelming rage that filled him. He hadn't felt this angry in a long, long time. "What kind of creature are you, harming an innocent child who had just been brought into this world?!"

"Innocent?! He is not an innocent," the Human Male yelled as his voice took on an angry, yet grief-stricken tone. "He shouldn't have been born!" The man blinked away tears that began filling his eyes. "Megumi…she was too sickly. Her body couldn't handle the stress of birth and she knew this and she…"

"She loved the child with all her heart," Lucemon said, feeling the truth of those words springing out, "something she must have hoped you would give to the child as well."

The man shook his head. His eyes narrowing in rage, which just made Lucemon find another reason why he loathed the Human. "You know nothing, Demon! Megumi is dead because of him! He should be dead, not Megumi!"

Lucemon narrowed his eyes at the Human Male. The rage that filled him had finally leaked over as he released the Human from the sky, realizing that the Human cared nothing for the small baby that wanted nothing more than to be loved and cared for. "I hope you enjoyed your time in this world, Human," Lucemon lifted his arms and summoned balls of holiness and evilness in each of his hands, "for it will be _your_ last! **Dead or Alive!** "

Lucemon did not stay to find out the result of the Human's demise as the orbs left his hands and formed a three-dimensional magic circle around the screaming Human, trapping him inside. "Nooooo! You can't do this!" The agonizing screams of the Human, followed by an explosion (that took out half of the rundown town in the process) was all he heard as he flew away from the abandoned town. Lucemon glanced down at the structures as his thoughts swirled around what the man had told him, followed by the overwhelming rage that filled him.

 _Humans are truly heartless creatures. How can one blame an innocent child for just being born?! Let alone blame him for the mother's death!_ Lucemon let out a heavy sigh as the thunder cracked above him. _I hope the woman wouldn't mind if I take care of her son._ Lucemon stopped his course and hovered in the air as soon as that thought came. The rage he had been feeling drained from his body and was replaced with confusion. "To care for the child?" Lucemon allowed those words to slowly reach his ears. Was that the reason he wanted to save the child? He knew he didn't like the way the newborn was being treated. It reminded him too much of his younger brother. Oh, and, how he adored his brother. Puttimon was so energetic and so full of life. Just thinking about the good times placed a smile on his face. Puttimon had always said that Lucemon would stop the war with his intellect and would create a peaceful world for all the innocent mons that wanted nothing more than to get along. It had been a naive thought, Lucemon had almost forgotten about it, but maybe Puttimon was right.

Lucemon found himself laughing. It had been too late to create a peaceful world as they had once dreamed of. The Digital World had been through the reality of war, through hatred and anger. Lucemon had actually been thinking that there were no more innocent beings in the world or that peace was near impossible to achieve in a world where he was hated and feared. But maybe it was fate who had wanted to bring the old him back, a reminded of the mon he had once been all those centuries ago. For there was an innocent child that held no fear or hatred towards him. An innocent child who had been neglect and wronged by those who was supposed to protect and love him.

Lucemon smiled as he resumed his flying as he felt a lightness in his heart. The small child had unknowingly begun filling the gap that had been void for so long, one that had once been filled by Puttimon. Lucemon wasn't sure if he was ready to allow another into his heart, but he knew it would be what Puttimon wanted. He would not approve of an innocent child being left out in the cold to die. And frankly neither did he.

Lucemon knew what he had to do as he made his way back to the cold, dark alleyway that he had left the frightened child in. Upon his return, however, Lucemon's heart literally dropped as he took in the scene in front of him. The small baby had returned to his loud, high-pitch wailing. His small body shivered violently for he had no protection against the bitter cold, nor any protection from the rain that was pouring on top of him. Lucemon did not hesitate to rush to the child. He feared that the child must believe that he had truly been abandoned to deal with his empty tummy and the bitter cold all alone. Lucemon knew that was impossible for he was still far too young. A wave of guilt washed over him like a tidal wave as he hovered over the child, using his body and wings to shield the baby from the rain. The child had been left alone for far too long.

"Shh, it's okay, little one," Lucemon's voice was soft and gentle as he slowly bent down to pick him up, "I'm here, now. I promise everything's going to be all right." Wet, violet eyes peeked from behind half-closed eyelids to stare up at him. Lucemon's smile never wavered as the little one whimpered when thunder cracked above them. "Shhh-sh-sh-sh-sh! It's okay. It's okay." Lucemon gently held the small baby in his hand, cradling him to his chest, in hopes that it would provide some warmth and comfort to the newborn. To his relief, the newborn's wailing decreased to whimpers as he snuggled into Lucemon's warm embrace. Lucemon could tell the little one was freezing. He couldn't be sure how long he went without any clothing (or the warmth of another), but he wasn't going to take any chances. Lucemon gently rubbed the baby's back in reassurance, taking note of the patch of dark hair (that looked to be a mixture of purples and blues) adorning the top of his head and the small sucking he was doing on his little fingers.

Lucemon's lips twitched in concern as he lifted up his right hand to open up a portal back to the Digital World. _He's hungry,_ Lucemon realized as the portal opened, revealing the huge colorful tree of the Village of Beginnings, _I don't know how long he's gone without eating, but I plan on fixing that right now._ Blue orbs shifted to the little shivering bundle in his arms as he entered the portal. _Hopefully, Swanmon and Elecmon wouldn't mind if I take a bottle or two._


	2. Old Friends

Greed.

He had never been fond of that word, nor of its implications against him. By nature, he guessed he could be described as a cruel, cunning, and manipulative Digimon and maybe a bit obsessed with material items (but for different reasons than what was being spread around about him). But then again, that was how the Holy Alliance saw him as. He was nothing but a cruel demon that manipulated the weak Fallen Angels and had even found a way to control the uncontrollable Deathmon.

If he had been one of the others (like Beelzebumon or Lilithmon) then he probably would have hunted down and killed the 'mon that had started the false rumors about him. He was by far not the cruel Digimon he was often described as. The Fallen Angel Digimon and Deathmon (when he felt he could no longer stay neutral) followed him faithfully. They were part of his army and would happily defend his good name when they felt it was being tarnished by the enemy. And in all honesty, Barbamon did love treasure. It was one of the beauties of life. But he wouldn't kill another for it, despite what rumors say about him.

However, as he listened to his top follower, giving her report of her findings, he couldn't prevent the cold shock and disgust that filled him. He hid it well, but he couldn't stop the unconscious tightening around his staff or the stiffening of his shoulders or the widening of his red eyes (filled with disbelief) as the Fallen Angel that was kneeling, respectfully, in front of him, continued her report of her findings.

"Are you sure there are no survivors, Lady Devimon?"

Lady Devimon was one of the many Digimon he had the pleasure of working with over the centuries. Lady Devimon and her brother, Vamdemon, were among the many that pledge their loyalty to the Demon Lords long ago and had led their groups with pride and victory against the Holy Alliance. She was a phenomenal warrior and leader and continued to show this every day, proving that she was the right 'mon for the job. It was a tough job, but she performed it well.

"Yes, My Lord, Vamdemon is sweeping the area for any survivors with the others as we speak. But the village was completely destroyed." Lady Devimon shook her head as she frowned. Barbamon could see unshed tears, the tightening of her facial features, and the strong posture she was trying to hold in front of him. "I-I fear they may have perished from the attack." He ignored the small crack in her voice. There was no need to point such weakness to a grieving 'mon. It was the village of her birth that was destroyed after all. She had lost her friends and any remaining family that had been alive until that point.

"Thank you for informing me on this matter." Barbamon moved away from the wall (next to the window) that he had been leaning on when Lady Devimon arrived. "I will instruct our next move once I consult this with the others. Until then, continue what you are doing and be on your guard."

Lady Devimon nodded and bowed respectfully before leaving his study. Barbamon watched her silently as he walked back to his desk. Once Lady Devimon closed the huge brown wooden doors, followed by the sound of her walking away, Barbamon finally released the frustrated sigh he had been holding. He collapsed onto his chair, finding no comfort in the extra soft material that padded the seat and armrest. The situation with the remaining members of the Holy Alliance was far worse than he thought.

"The entire village…" The words tasted bitter and raw as they left his lips. And the sound of those words just filled the overwhelming anger and frustration that had been building up for months. "Gone?" They all knew the enemy and what they were capable of. The Holy Alliance were cruel and selfish creatures. They had proven more than once that they cared for nothing but their own kind. Barbamon could still remember clearly the day the members of the Holy Alliance used the children to fight in the war.

Barbamon shook his head sadly at that. The Holy Digimon knew they refused to use children in the war. They were young and innocent, but the leaders of the Holy Alliance didn't see it that way. They saw it as a way to defeat them. They saw children as weapons.

Barbamon sighed as he gazed down at the various plans and maps that littered his desk. The children had been subjected to so many horrors as they were beaten and trained to be weapons. Barbamon remembered how a Plotmon was killed without hesitation when she refused to kill another Digimon, despite the threat of being deleted by her superior. This made him sigh once more.

"Children have no business in war." Barbamon turned his gaze away from the plans in front of him and turned his gaze to the window. Barbamon truly did love gazing at the sky. The sun was just below the horizon making the sky take on a mixture of light pink and orange. Barbamon ran his fingers through his long beard as he gazed out the window. "It's a shame there's no one to admire its beauty."

Barbamon thoughts shifted to the village that had been attacked and destroyed. The village had been filled with Devimon, Lady Devimon, Impmon, Yaamon, Vamdemon, and Pico Devimon. It was very alarming that a village filled with powerful Adult and Perfect Digimon were completely annihilated. Barbamon leaned into his chair as something else came to his mind. The rebels shouldn't be able to destroy a village that big. The Holy Alliance numbers were few compared to the village, where there were at least twenty Adults and Perfects guarding the area.

Barbamon frowned as he returned his gaze to the map that he had placed out in front of him. Several regions were circled and marked, showing the different areas that the Holy Alliance had been tracked down to or seen. Red eyes gazed at the mountain regions and towns of Cyber and Server. The Holy Alliance had been active most recently there. But for what, he wasn't sure. "What are you planning, Goddramon?"

* * *

He hadn't realized just how frightening traveling through the portal truly was for someone who was not used to it. Lucemon had learned to ignore the bright colors and sounds coming from the different worlds and realities (which he chose not to open) as they traveled between dimensions. He had never been interested in the other worlds and their pitiful wars. However, as he exited the portal, revealing the beautiful tree that was the birth of all Digimon, Lucemon soon realized that he was now faced with a very serious problem.

"Shhh-sh-sh. It's okay. It's okay."

Ken, the newborn he had saved from the Parallel Human World, was very terrified, very cold, and very hungry.

Lucemon let out a long sigh as his attempts to soothe the crying newborn failed. With another sigh, Lucemon looked around to see how far from the village he was. Blue eyes gazed at the tall lush grass and trees that grew at the very border of the village, just outside the barrier that surrounded the village. Lucemon was thankful that he wasn't that far. He had been worried about the young ones' safety. The Village of Beginnings had been attacked many times in the past, killing many Digimon that had been able to be reconfigured. But, of course, this was not what the Holy Alliance wanted. They wanted the demons eliminated, thus why the village had been moved so many times. The fear for the little ones' safety was very high.

Lucemon didn't want to risk the lives of those innocent babies, so he and the others created a barrier. A barrier that was strong enough to conceal the village from any Digimon that was higher then Child or not given the authorization (by him, Swanmon, or Elecmon) to enter the village.

He stared at the sky, frowning slightly as he held the frightened newborn close to his chest in hopes of giving him some comfort.

 _Is it really that late?_

The sun was no longer starting to break over the horizon like it had been when he left that morning for some personal time. Instead, the sun was starting to set, turning the sky to a soft pink and orange, and just gently touching the top of the huge, colorful tree that sat right in the middle of the village. Lucemon smiled at the beautiful sight. The Village of Beginnings had always been a beautiful and welcoming place. The huge decorative, colored blocks that were scattered around the village made the village playful and full of life. Lucemon knew the babies loved those blocks. Babies were very curious at this age.

Lucemon's turned his gaze towards the tree as he walked. Lucemon could make out billions of eggs resting underneath the tree as he made his way over. The eggs rested near the base of the tree. When they weren't on bushes, they were resting on the grassy ground, just waiting to be born into the world. Lucemon's heart ached for them. This world was still filled with danger. It was cruel and unkind. It was no place for the innocent. Despite that knowledge, Lucemon had to remind himself, he knew the little ones were safe. Swanmon and Elecmon ran this village. From within this barrier, the babies were born and raised in a peaceful sanctuary. It was away from the chaos and death that surrounded them, threatening to end them if they were not careful.

Lucemon turned his gaze to the small human baby in his arms as he walked closer to the center of the village. He knew the child had come very close to death. He had been deprived of food, clothing, and of the love and gentleness, he needed. Lucemon mentally cursed at the beings that allowed this helpless baby to go hungry for so long. He knew from experience that babies require a lot of attention and love, especially if they were just born. It had been centuries since he took care of a baby (and he was sure a human baby's needs weren't as different to a Digimon's) but from what he did remember, a baby shouldn't go without food. They need to be feed every couple hours in order to get the nourishments that they needed to grow.

He gently rubbed Ken's back with his thumb, trying very hard not to touch the bruising that seemed to be on almost every inch of his small body. The bruising looked too fresh for his liking. Lucemon didn't want to accidentally hurt the baby any more than he already was. But it was hard to tell, considering human babies don't talk. Lucemon frowned slightly, wondering how long had the little one been mistreated by his father.

 _Probably since birth_ , he thought bitterly. Lucemon hated the thought as soon as it came. Judging by how small he was and by the freshness of the bruising, Lucemon was assuming the little one was born around mid-morning or late afternoon. That small analysis made Lucemon regret killing the human so quickly. The man deserved so much more than a quick death.

"It's okay," Lucemon said in a soothing voice as the baby continued to cry in his arms. "Everything will be all right. No one is going to harm you, not if I have anything to say about it." Lucemon wasn't sure if Ken understood him. He was only a baby, but Lucemon liked to believe that the little one had an idea of what was going on. That he would now be safe and protected from the things that used to and could possibly harm him.

Lucemon continued to speak gentle words to the crying newborn (although, he was slightly surprised when Ken's cries began to decrease at the sound of his voice and his teary eyes began to open to look up at him) as he made his way to where he knew Swanmon and Elecmon would be. Lucemon's lips twitched into a smile as he thought about his two close friends. Swanmon and Elecmon had been the two fortunate ones to be reborn with their memories intact. Lucemon had known the two ever since he hatched from his DigiTama.

The three of them had grown up together in Server, attempting to live a peaceful life in a small village hidden within the forest. The three of them had never liked violence. Swanmon and Elecmon hated the way the young Digimon were being treated. They hated that the babies and Child Digimon were being seen as weapons and dangerous. Lucemon, himself, had never liked fighting back then. He had always loved reading and finding out ways to solve issues without fighting. But that was before the baby massacre.

Lucemon would never forget that day. The war had been on a high with the Holy Alliance gaining the upper hand in the war. The Holy Alliance had been invading small villages and killing the babies that were both born and unborn. It had been a nightmare. The Holy Alliance had come to their village one night, attacking homes and killing the babies before the citizens could figure out what was going on. He and his friends had been wide awake that night with his parents, waiting for his brother to hatch from his DigiTama. His parents had a feeling he would hatch that night, considering it had moved for a few seconds before quieting down. They had heard the screams when the army invaded and attacked the first home. They had all been terrified that night and tried to escape. But the army had completely surrounded the village, making escape impossible.

Lucemon's walking became slower as he remembered the tears on his parents' saddened features and their screams to run as they sacrificed themselves to create an opening for them. He could still feel the aching pain of losing his parents when they were deleted. They had made the ultimate sacrifice, allowing him, Swanmon, Elecmon, and his brother to escape and live. That day haunted them all and they made a vow to never allow someone close to them die ever again. They had all vowed to protect Puttimon and each other, no matter what. Lucemon hated to admit that they had failed his vow. He had been too weak to protect his brother when he was kidnapped by a Holy Angemon and he had also been unable to help protect his friends when they fought to protect a village filled with Baby Digimon.

The loss of one's loved ones was something Lucemon struggled to bare with at times. Over time he had learned to blacken his heart to others, allowing him to evolve and kill without feeling an ounce of emotion. However, three decades later, he had run into his old friends when he was scouting a nearby village. They had been reconfigured and married, doing what they loved best — taking care of babies. Lucemon had never been more thankful to learn that their memories were intact. They had talked for hours that day, learning about what happened after they got separated. Swanmon and Elecmon had been saddened about what he went through without them, but they understood nonetheless. They never chided him for what he did, nor did lecture him about what he was doing was wrong. They accepted it and gave him advice when he needed it. Lucemon was very grateful for that. He had his friends — no — his family back once again.

"Lucemon, what are you doing here?" Lucemon gave a small smile as he stopped at the edge of the tree. Swanmon was holding a sleeping Pabumon in her wings, silently removing the bottle that was between his lips. Next to her was her husband, Elecmon, who was holding a basket of baby bottles. Elecmon looked just as surprised as she was, but quickly recovered when he saw him.

"It's good to see you, old friend," Elecmon said with a smile, "I thought you weren't coming for another two—" Elecmon, however, never got to finish what he was saying for Ken took that moment to remind him that he was very cold and very hungry. The soft wailing of a young baby grabbed his friends' attention immediately. They both looked in the direction of his arms with questioning looks. Lucemon knew it wouldn't be long before the two of them asked him what was going on and why he had a baby in his arms and a human one at that. But Lucemon knew the couple could not stand to see a distressed baby who was obviously hungry.

Swanmon, as he suspected, had been the first to react. Swanmon quickly handed the sleeping Pabumon to her husband before taking flight. Lucemon watched his friend as she flew to his arms to gaze at the crying baby in his arms. A mixture of shock and anger filled Swanmon's eyes as she took in the bruising on Ken's body and the frightened expression he was giving her.

"It's okay, little one. There is nothing to be afraid of," Swanmon said in a motherly tone as she gazed at the small child in his arms. "You're safe here." Lucemon watched with a smile as Ken's crying began to decrease. He whimpered at the both of them as he stared at them with violet eyes filled with tears. "You are such a brave boy," the small newborn just stared at her curiously as she gently wiped away the tears that collected on his small cheek. The baby's reaction was beyond adorable, but also made Lucemon's heart broke. Ken had cooed softly at the soft touch, turning his head in the direction of Swanmon's wing and opening his mouth, in hopes of finally be given something to satisfy the discomfort in his small tummy.

"Oh, you're hungry, aren't you?" The gentleness in Swanmon's voice never wavered, but he could tell that her heart was aching for the small human baby.

Ken didn't respond, not that they were expecting him to, so Lucemon answered his friend's question instead. "He hasn't eaten at all since he was born," the realization brought looks of horror and concern to both of his friends' faces, "I was hoping you two would have a bottle to spare." Lucemon knew it was an odd request, the situation was weird itself frankly, but Swanmon and Elecmon were good friends and were always willing to help him when he needed it

"Of course we do." Lucemon watched as Swanmon flew back to the ground, grabbing a bottle from the basket that Elecmon had placed on the ground in front of him before Pabumon was shoved into his claws, before returning to the hungry baby resting in his arms. "Here we are." Swanmon held the bottle in her wing as she gazed at the small newborn. Ken looked at her with curious eyes as he saw the bottle. The sight was heartbreaking. The newborn had never seen a bottle before. Lucemon hatred for the human only seemed to grow and grow.

Lucemon vaguely remembered how to hold a baby, but was glad that Swanmon decided to instruct him how to hold the newborn properly. Once Ken was propped up in this arms, Swanmon handed him the bottle. Lucemon took the offered bottle and gently placed the nipple of the bottle between the baby's lips. They both waited for the baby to realize that he was finally being fed his very first meal. Thankfully they didn't have to wait that long. After a second or two, the baby latched onto the nipple and began to nurse.

"That a boy," Lucemon gently praised the baby as he happily drank the food he was being given. Lucemon felt a lightness in his soul as he watched the baby nurse. It had been a very, long time since he did this. It had been centuries since he took care of a baby. But as he watched Ken drink, he was reminded of the time when his brother was this age. Lucemon's heart ached for a moment, remembering his brother's death. But Lucemon found that it didn't hurt as much as it did before. There was something about this moment that felt different. When he did this with his brother, the bond was filled with sibling love. But with the newborn, Lucemon didn't feel the same love that he felt for his brother. It was different somehow, stronger, intense even.

"What happen Lucemon?" Swanmon asked as they watched Ken eat. "What happen to his family?

"I was in the Human World...the one parallel to ours," Lucemon told them as he stared into the newborn's eyes, "mourning Puttimon's death."

"Oh, Lucemon..." Lucemon lifted his eyes to Swanmon's sad ones. He knew how much she loved Puttimon and how she regretted not being there to help him save his brother. It had hurt them all when he died.

"I'm fine," Lucemon said before returning to his story. "I was in Japan, watching the Humans as they lived their lives. I don't remember how long I've been sitting on the roof, just watching them. Humans were such fragile creature, but I come to believe they aren't that different from us, especially with how cruel they could be." Lucemon saw a questioning, yet uneasy, look in Swanmon's eyes and he knew Elecmon was probably wondering the same thing she was. "The little one doesn't have anyone. His mother had died when she fought to bring him into this world."

Swanmon's eyes shimmered with sympathy for the human that had died giving birth to this small beautiful gift that laid before them. "Oh, the poor dears." Lucemon had to agree with her. The human had truly loved the child, even at risk of her own life. She might be the only human that he liked.

"And the father?" Elecmon asked as he placed the small green Digimon in his cradle. They had since then been walking towards the other sleeping babies. Once the baby was in his cradle with the others, they began making their way to his friends' hut nearby.

As innocent as the question was, however, Lucemon couldn't stop the anger and hatred that filled his being. " _He_ blamed the little one for his mother's death."

"What?!" Swanmon and Elecmon stopped in front of their home and turned to stare at him in shock and disbelief. It was obvious that they were outraged by the accusation being placed on such an innocent child.

Lucemon grumbled under his breath, taking note of the little one slowly beginning to drift to sleep. Lucemon silently removed the bottle from the baby's lips (noting there was still a lot of milk in the bottle) before handing it back to Swanmon. Once the baby had fallen asleep and snuggled closer to his chest for warmth, and once they were sure they wouldn't wake him up, did Lucemon finally speak again.

"The _Human_ ," he hissed lowly, "had mistreated him," he gently stroked the newborn's arm, praying the bruises would go away soon, "it was the middle of a cold, rainy night over there and the Human was about to leave him out there to die."

Swanmon and Elecmon didn't say anything as they walked inside and made themselves comfortable on one of the many soft bed-like-sofas they had. They remained silent as Lucemon's anger circled around them in waves. Lucemon had powers over both Light and Darkness, so when he got very angry his power would sometimes become visible. Lucemon's powers were dangerous and had the potential to harm someone if he wasn't careful. He did not want to completely destroy half of a continent like he had done the first time he evolved to this form. So it was only expected when his friends simply waited and give him the time he needed to calm down and collect his thoughts and emotions. It wouldn't do any good for anyone to have him this angry.

"Sorry," Lucemon apologized as he walked inside the hut and sat heavily on the sofa bed next to Swanmon, feeling slightly ashamed of the potential danger and harm he could have caused to the babies and his friends.

"It's fine," Swanmon said with a gentle smile as she gently rubbed his arm. "You are a good Digimon, Lucemon, even if it's just the three of us that think so." Swanmon's eyes softened as she gazed at the sleeping baby. "And I'm sure after today, you might have gained another that believes in you too." Lucemon gazed at the newborn with a soft smile, thinking back to when the baby first looked at him. The baby never saw him as a monster or something to fear. He saw him as a possible savior, someone that could possibly love and take care of him.

"I guess you may be right about that." He gently stroked the baby's small cheek, watching with a smile as he made a small noise in his sleep. He really was an adorable child.

"And you know," Swanmon picked up the conversation again, "you always have the other Demon Lords. You might be the leader, but that doesn't mean you can't be a family, especially if you're going to raise this little one."

Lucemon frowned at that. He wasn't entirely sure about that. In all honesty, they only got together because of the war. They were all powerful in their own way, but there was no way they could be a family, let alone friends. How could they, when they spent half of the time arguing with each other? Besides, Lucemon hadn't planned on the others to help him raise the little one. They were all busy Digimon and he wasn't even sure if they would be willing anyway. Besides, this was his problem to deal with, his responsibility. He didn't need anyone else.

"Lucemon." Lucemon was snapped out of his thoughts by Elecmon. Lucemon looked at his friend and saw an amused smile on his feature. "Don't tell me you and Lilithmon haven't talked about what happened." Lucemon did nothing to hide the grimace. He and Lilithmon had a thing centuries ago. It was during the war, she had been a beautiful Ophanimon back then. Ophanimon had actually once been a member of the Holy Alliance. When they first met they had been enemies on the battlefield. His group had been exhausted and worn from a battle they had managed to retreat. They had been looking for shelter when they stumbled upon a village Ophanimon and her troops were using. He had expected her troops to want to wipe his group out. They had been exhausted and unable to fight back, they could have been easily defeated. But she had surprised him. Instead of ordering her troops to attack them, she offered them some food to eat and a place to sleep.

Lucemon had never thought an enemy could express such kindness. And as it turned out, he and Lilithmon weren't as different as he thought. Ophanimon and her troops didn't want to fight, they wanted to resolve their difference peacefully. On that night they talked long into the next day discussing everything about the two groups. Lucemon had to admit that he didn't believe her at first, but as she talked about how she disapproved of the deaths and massacres caused by her kind, Lucemon realized that she was different. She had wanted what he had been trying to achieve long ago — a peaceful world without violence or hatred. And Lucemon had to say that he had actually fallen for her when he knew he shouldn't have.

Just as he lost his brother and his friends to the Holy Alliance, Lucemon had almost lost the 'mon he came to fall for. The Holy Alliance had somehow found out about what Ophanimon was doing and arranged a group to kill her and her followers. Lucemon hadn't been around when they had been attacked, but he had been to witness the female members of Ophanimon's army being violated before being killed. Lucemon had completely lost it when he saw this. Lucemon couldn't remember much of what happened after he saw the horrible state Ophanimon had been in when he arrived for their meeting. All he remembered was seeing Ophanimon armor-less and covered in her own blood and then waking up to the destruction caused by his true form.

"I can't face her," he said with a grimace, "not after what happened." Lucemon couldn't face Lilithmon. She had been harmed because he was stupid enough to continue their little meetings. They had been secretly dating before the assassination of her village. Lilithmon had lost everything because of him. He didn't want to know what she thought of him. So when he finally met Ophanimon again, only as Lilithmon this time, Lucemon couldn't face her. Every time he looked at her, he saw the beautiful 'mon that he loved beaten and raped by those that was supposed to be her allies.

"Have you even given her the chance to tell you what happened that day?" Elecmon asked, sounding sure that he knew the answer. And he probably did, considering Lucemon didn't answer him. "I didn't think so." Elecmon fluffed his tail a bit in agitation and gave him a leveled look. It was a look that said, 'you are being stupid, so shut up and listen to me'. "You can't keep avoiding her, Lucemon. Both you and Lilithmon need closure. It wasn't your fault for what happened and I'm positive she doesn't blame you at all. You lost control. Big deal. We all lose control once in a while. But in your case, you losing control might have saved her life that day." Lucemon's frown never left his features, but he did listen to his friend. Elecmon was as wise as they come and he knew he was right. Maybe he should talk to Lilithmon and not make excuses every time she wanted to discuss what happened that day. "Besides, raising a baby is no easy task." Elecmon's smiled slightly as he gestured to the sleeping baby in his arms. "This little one is going to need the love and affection of both his _mother and father._ " Lucemon found his body stiffening as Elecmon stressed that last part. He could not mean him and Lilithmon, could he?


	3. Thoughts of the Past

She remembered when she was once Ophanimon. During the war, she had been one of the twelve high-ranking generals to command under the Holy Alliance. To someone else, it may have been an honor to hold such a high position. But it wasn't. It had been stressful. It had been dangerous for someone of her status. It had been what destroyed her in the end.

In the Holy Alliance, for a long time, the Twelve Generals had been powerful Ultimates, as well as all being males. But that had changed when the youngest member of the Twelve Generals died while trying to apprehend Belphemon, while he had been sleeping. The 'mon had thought he could capture and kill him by himself. However, he hadn't expected the Demon Lord's dark powers to be so vast and overwhelming when awakened. When he was deleted, they needed to replace him quickly, for fear of the Virus Court finding out and taking advantage of their weakened strength. And that's where she came in. On that day, she was given the title by her father — to be the Twelfth General.

At first, she had been excited, thrilled even to have such a title. No female Digimon had ever held such a high position within the Holy Alliance before. That was until she learned the truth of her appointment hours later. Yes, she had been selected to replace the 'mon that had died, but that had not been the true reason of her sudden appointment. There had been a number of powerful Holy Angels, Vaccine, and Data Digimon that would have been just as qualified to take the position.

However, there had been rumors as she learned from one of the healers within her small army. The Three Leaders had been concerned of her growing independence and anti-war stance. They had feared that she might find out about the massacres and weapons they were building and put a stop to them. So they had sent her away, believing that if she was away from the main base (and the four of them) and held on a tight leash, they could control her and keep her from finding out the truth, preventing her from doing what they believed was wrong and against their objectives.

Unfortunately for them, she had known all along about their plans, despite their ploy to keep her in line. She had seen the deaths caused by her kind and learned of the true nature of what was going on from her troops that she lead throughout the different regions of the Digital World. She had hated what her father had done to the Digimon. She had heard everything from her troops and healers, as well as those that were supposed to be the enemy.

She remembered, long ago, that she had hated violence. She had been a being of love, so this degree of violence was not in her nature. This was why she preferred negotiating a path toward peace than violence and death. The Virus and Demon Digimon had appreciated her kindness and generous offerings of safety and food, and in return, they told her everything about what her father and the other leaders had done over the months.

It had been disturbing to learn of the magnitude of destruction and chaos her father had caused. Her father had once been an honorable and respected Digimon. He had once led by example to draw a path towards peace with love and kindness. But he had changed when he began working with Garudamon, Mihiramon, and Vajramon. Her father had stopped trying to bring peace to both sides, to sort out differences. Instead, he had sought to destroy and wipe out any 'mon aligned with the Virus Court from existence.

She had been horrified when she found out about this because she knew her father would kill her if he found out that she was saving, protecting and negotiating with the supposed enemy. Protecting and helping the enemy was not something a member of the Holy Alliance was supposed to do and if one did help the enemy, it would have been a sign of treason. She had known this as Ophanimon and didn't care of the consequence. She had hated the laws that demanded them to kill any member of the Virus Court on the spot or to capture and then torture them for information, if necessary.

Lilithmon scowled in distaste at the very thought of her father as she walked down the hallway. Her father was a weak, violent, distasteful creature. She was disgusted to even call him her father. The 'mon had completely humiliated her in front of everyone! Just to prove that he was still capable of leading the Holy Alliance with an iron fist. That he was still in charge of the situation in front of him. That he would be willing to do what needed to be done to make sure that the Virus Court fell and were completely eliminated from the face of the Digital World.

It had been a foolish thought to believe that her father loved her enough to give her the chance to explain why she had not killed a single Digimon that sided with the Virus Court when they crossed paths. As Ophanimon, she had been a Digimon of life and love. It was not in her nature to kill without a just cause. She had wanted to find a common ground, to forge a way towards peace without so much bloodshed and death. It was a belief her father once believed in.

Lilithmon stopped in front of a white colored door engraved with the red Crest of Pride on it. Her hands formed into fists at the very thought of her father, if she could even call him that. Her father was a weak and disgraceful 'mon in her mind. When he got word of what she was doing, he didn't talk to her or treated her like his daughter. He didn't even listen to what she had to say. No, he saw her as an enemy, a traitor to the Alliance. He might not have been there when her camp of female warriors and healers were surrounded by a dozen Angel Digimon that night. He might not have been the Digimon that attacked them, tore their armors off their backs and had their way with them before killing them.

But he had been the one to order the attack. He had wanted her dead. And that was what had broken whatever little faith she had left for bringing peace among the two sides that night. Her shoes, unconsciously, dug into the hard wooden floor as she stared blankly in front of her with a burning hatred towards her father. Her father had cared more about his reputation as one of the four leaders of the Holy Alliance over his own daughter. This had caused her to not only despise her own father but _all_ men. They were all disgraceful, disgusting creatures with no souls and deserved nothing but death by her own hands, especially the one that had raped and beaten her.

That thought brought a bitter taste in her mouth (as well as rage) as she remembered the 'mon clearly. The Angel had been very handsome and beautiful with his bright blue eyes, strong muscles, pure white wings and flowing blond hair mixed with brown at the roots. He seemed to have no flaws, no ill will towards anyone, or a single mean bone in his beautiful body. But that had been just a façade. He turned out to be a cold, soulless, cruel monster. He had laughed at her when she begged for him to stop and ignored her cries of pain. He had treated her like she was nothing; like she was a piece of dirt he could walk on. He had touched her like she was his to touch. He had licked her, kissed her, and marked her like he owned her. And he had violated her and beaten her, just because he could. He had been stronger than her. She hadn't had the power to fight him at the time or have any help. He knew he would be the last thing she saw before he killed her, and he took great joy in that.

Lilithmon shivered at the memory. It had been a blessing that Lucemon had deleted him completely when he arrived for their meeting.

Lilithmon, bit her lip, staring at Lucemon's door with a pained expression. _Lucemon._ Despite her hatred for men, Lucemon had been different. She had met him long ago when she was Ophanimon. She had helped him when he and his worn out troops needed shelter and safety. As warriors and leaders, she and Lucemon had found a common ground as they talked about the war (and in turn, themselves). They had talked for hours that night and well into the next day. She had enjoyed his company and insight and she knew Lucemon did as well. She and Lucemon had countless meetings after that day, but not necessarily as warriors and leaders discussing strategies or exchanging insight for the battlefield.

Lilithmon raised her fist and knocked softly on the door. "Lucemon?" She didn't know when she started falling for him, but she did, and she never stopped either. Lucemon was never someone that she could hate. Lucemon was one of the 'mons that knew her the best. They had secretly dated long ago before the attack and had even talked about their families and past. Lilithmon had been aware of the deaths of Lucemon's friends and younger brother, and in turn, he knew of her relation with the Four Leaders. Lucemon had been shocked at first, but that didn't stop the feelings they had for each other.

"Lucemon! Open up!" Lilithmon sighed when she got no response. "Lucemon, please, we need to talk!"

Lucemon had been avoiding her ever since that day. Lucemon had seen her when she had been beaten and close to death. He had been shocked. He had been hurt. He had been enraged.

The deaths of his brother and friends had left a deep wound in his soul, forcing him to close himself off and to blackening his own heart to avoid the pain of losing someone he loved. But he had allowed it to reopen — all for her. He had allowed her in and it had been the sight of her looking so beaten, so vulnerable, and so close to death by the hand of her own kind that made him change.

All the light that had kept the darkness within him balanced, shattered at the sight of her. Lilithmon could still remember the hollow scream that left his lips and the coldness of the darkness that touched her weakened body as Lucemon held her after he killed her attacker in a blind rage. She remembered those beautiful, haunted blues turning black and the way his body warped and changed as they were engulfed in a blanket of darkness.

Lilithmon knew Lucemon didn't remember what happened after he saw her crumpled form, but she did. Lucemon had changed when he evolved to his final form — a powerful Ultimate in the form of a terrifying purple dragon. It was a form that she liked to call Satan Mode. For when he was in that mode, Lucemon knew nothing but destruction, anger, and pain.

When Lucemon was in his Satan Mode, she had been within the dark orb that he carried. She still remembered feeling the darkness around her (whispering promises of life with a new form) as Lucemon destroyed everything and everyone in a fit of mindless rage. She had heard Lucemon's sorrowful voice mourning her death, while she floated, weakly within the orb of darkness as the darkness whispered in her ears. He hadn't realized that she was still alive while he destroyed everything. She had felt the pain of her data leaving her body, leaving her weaker and weaker with every passing second, and closer and closer to her death. She knew it would have been only a matter of time before her body broke down into data and disappeared forever, never to be reborn. Her DigiCore had, unfortunately, been too badly damaged, reconfiguration would have been impossible. If it hadn't been for her taking the darkness' offer, she would have permanently died and in turn leaving the one 'mon that cared for her behind.

She couldn't do that to Lucemon. She couldn't leave him knowing that he would forever run mad in that form, attacking everything and everyone in a mindless state of rage and pain. It pained her that he became this form because of her, but she refused to allow him to suffer anymore. She knew she would never become Ophanimon again when she accepted the darkness' proposal, nor did she care. All she cared about was Lucemon.

Lucemon meant everything to her, to the point that she released the last of her holy powers to soothe the rage within Lucemon, calming the beast within. She had been relieved when she felt Lucemon slowly returning to normal when she began to change. In fact, she barely registered the pain of her data being repaired and altered as the dragon collapsed to the rocky ground. She had barely registered her body changing before she was released from the orb and left unconscious on the ground in her new form with a weakened Lucemon, who lost and unaware of what he had or hadn't done.

"Lucemon, please!"

"He's not there, Princess." Lilithmon, startled, spun around on her heel and stared at the owner of the voice. Leaning on the opposite wall was Beelzebumon, unfortunately. The rather annoying, rather childish, Demon Lord of Gluttony stared at her with an amused smirk on his gray face. Lilithmon's right eye twitched from what she believed to be a glint of mockery within those red orbs. The Demon Lord's smirk only grew (most likely enjoying the annoyance his mere presence seemed to cause) before taking a bite out of his half eaten sandwich. "Hasn't been for a while." It didn't take very long to figure out where he went. The tray of food that Beelzebumon was balancing on his other claw was a dead giveaway, especially since the staircase that led to the first floor where the kitchen resided was just down the hall.

"What you mean 'not for a while'?" Lilithmon tried to keep her tone and features calm and neutral. However, it was never easy with Beelzebumon. His personality alone always seemed to get under her skin, even when he wasn't trying.

Beelzebumon gazed at her like he was talking to a child. "It's exactly as I said." Lilithmon's nose scrunched up in disgust at the small bits of food that flew out of Beelzebumon's mouth as he talked. It never ceased to amaze her at the lack of manners Beelzebumon processed. "Angel Boy is not here. Hasn't been since dawn." Lilithmon's lips twitched into a frown. Beelzebumon, for some annoying reason, preferred calling everyone by a nickname than their actual name. Beelzebumon always made sure the nickname were as annoying as possible when he used them. It was rather annoying and childish quite frankly, especially since he knew it annoyed them.

"Since dawn?" Lilithmon gritted her teeth to prevent her from screaming at the Demon Lord as he swallowed the last of his sandwich before proceeding to grab another one from the tray. "Do you know where he went?"

Lilithmon felt her patience grow thin for the other as he seemed to grow dull of their conversation. "Nope," was all he said as he shoved the sandwich into his mouth.

"Do you know when he will be back, at least?"

Beelzebumon paused mid-chewing before placing the sandwich he had been eating back on the tray. He gave her a deadpanned look as he wiped his mouth with the back his claw. "Listen, Princess, just because me and Angel Boy live on the same floor, don't mean I keep track on what he does 24/7. What he does is his business and what I do is mine. If he leaves without a word, I'm not going to ask, end of story."

"It is not the end of the story!" Lilithmon could not believe what she was hearing. Did Beelzebumon not care about Lucemon? Noted, Lucemon had left the castle without telling anyone many times before, but he hadn't been out for this long. What if something terrible happened to him? "Lucemon is our friend, our leader, aren't you worried that something must have happened to him?"

"Not really."

Lilithmon froze. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at Beelzebumon. _He doesn't care?!_ The words swirled around her head like a mantra, cracking whatever patience she had over her emotions. Lilithmon soon found herself feeling an overwhelming anger toward Beelzebumon. "Then why are you here?!" She ignored the look of total bafflement and confusion written on the moron's face as she attacked him with her golden claw. Lilithmon knew she was being unfair to Beelzembumon for attacking him before he could even explain himself before storming off in a fit of rage.

"Lilithmon, wait!"

She had to get out of there. If she stayed any longer, she might very well kill him without thinking. "That's not what I meant!" Besides, she could apologize to him later, must later. Maybe when she wasn't so angry and ready to destroy everyone that crossed her path.

"Lilithmon!" Beelzebumon groaned as he watched Lilithmon storm down the hall and disappear around the corner. "Damn that girl," he swore as he pulled a nail out of his vest. "She going to be the death of me one of these days."

Beelzebumon gazed at his vest with a pout. It was a good thing that the same Digizoid that was used to create the arm and leg plates and boots were embedded into his vest as well. However, it was really annoying to fix or replace each time it got torn or destroyed. And, no thank to a certain snappy female, he now had a nice size hole (along with three rips made by her claw) right in the middle of his vest. It was bad enough that his clothes get damage when he does those recon trips for Barbamon and Lucemon. It was getting increasingly difficult to prevent all these deaths without knowing where the rest of the Angels and Data Digimon were relocated. He had managed to capture an Angemon, but he refused to talk.

"Lucemon sure owes me big for this," he grumbled as he tossed the nail over his shoulder. Despite what the Lilithmon believed, he did care about Lucemon. How could he not? The 'mon saved him, even if he wasn't aware of it at the time.

Before he met Lucemon, Beelzebumon never thought he would evolve to the 'mon he was today or that he would be the highly respected leader among the Nightmare Soldiers. In fact, he never thought he would survive that day all those centuries ago.

After the first successful Baby Massacre, more and more villages had been targeted. However, the way they were attacking were odd. The villages they were attacking were not close together. The were in fact spread out over several miles and divided by a forest, river, or terrain. It wasn't until after he was killed and reborn as Leafmon to realize their true goal. The Holy Alliance had been trying to locate the Village of Beginnings — the final birthplace of all Digimon.

The location of the Village of Beginnings had always been a mystery. No one knew of its location for it was always well hidden. And those who had found it could never find the village again for it had relocated by then. The Village of Beginnings was one of those villages during the war that was constantly moving.

The Village of Beginnings was the final resting place for all Digimon and without it, the cycle of life would cease. Usually, a Digimon would be born at their respected village. However, if the village was destroyed or deemed too dangerous for a Digimon to be reborn, then their data would travel to the Village of Beginnings and reconfigure there.

That had been what the leaders of the Holy Alliance had been looking for. They had wanted to destroy the village to end the threat of them coming back. And they had found it by the time he had been reborn.

The caretakers, DORUmon and Leomon at the time, had feared that the Holy Alliance had been attempting to find the location of the village. It was why they had called the aid of the Virus Court and the remaining members of Witchelny (whose world had been destroyed long ago and had since then repopulated on their world) to help in their relocation. Both sides had answered the call and had sent Lucemon, Mistymon, and their armies to their aid. However, even with their help, it did nothing to the overwhelming destruction that was caused. The two sides had been evenly matched in numbers and in power. While the two sides fought, their caretakers attempted to evacuate them to the underground hideout that had been created for them days before.

However, no one expected the Holy Alliance to have a secondary group to hunt them down. Leomon and some of Mistymon's army attempted to give DORUmon the time he needed to run away with as many babies he could save. At least a dozen of them had made it to the hideout before a group of dragons came flying out of the sky and right towards them. He remembered DORUmon giving them a teary goodbye before he began to glow. DORUmon evolved straight into his Perfect form, DORUguremon, knowing that he would not survive his fight. They had all watched with teary eyes as the other dragons told DORUguremon that he was on the wrong side. That a powerful Digimon like him should be helping them by eliminating the threat, which must have been them. But their caretaker had refused and instead fought to keep them safe.

The battle had been gruesome. The dragons, all Perfect level as well, tore at each other. Wings were bitten and ripped, tails and claws were bloody as they struck each other anywhere within reach. The fight seemed to go on forever with DORUguremon attempting to kill or knock out one of the four dragons that were coming at him. Two of the dragons had fallen and dispersed into data after DORUguremon shot a metal ball at their centers. At that point, they had thought their caretaker would win, but they had been wrong. DORUguremon was only able to kill one more before collapsing to the ground, broken and bleeding faster than be could heal.

They had all been scared. DORUguremon was moments away from being killed right in front of them and they knew they were next. However, they had been saved by none other then Lucemon. Lucemon had surrounded the enemy with a huge eruption of dark energy (which dazed the dragon) followed by a fury of kicks and punches. The dragon could not handle the assault of the powerful angel and had retreated before Lucemon could kill him. Lucemon thankfully had not followed, for it was that moment when they had exited their hiding spot. They had all been terrified from what happened and upset as they all watched DORUguremon's body turned to data and then disappeared, never to return.

Beelzebumon ran a hand through his blond hair as he walked down the hall towards his room. It had been tough after that day. Lucemon had stayed with them until they were safely relocated to Witchelny. The town was protected by powerful wizards and witches and was ruled by the all-powerful Medieval Dukemon. It had been hard growing up during the war, but unlike the others, Beelzebumon had been thankful for Lucemon saving him that day. It was because of him that he survived and it was because of him that he was motivated to continue to live and fight in this unforgivable war.

Many of the babies he had grown up with had given up on life and had died long ago, but he hadn't. He had skilled himself and forced himself to evolve, to survive. He knew one day he and Lucemon would meet again. And they had, in the heart of battle. They had fought together, side by side, for many years before they got together with the others and finally attacked the Holy Alliance at their main base, destroying their weapon before it could be completed.

Beelzebumon smiled at the memory. Beelzebumon liked to think of him as his friend and hoped Lucemon felt the same way. Besides, it was getting quite annoying lying for him whenever Lilithmon came looking for him. It was bad enough that she got annoyed by just being in the same room as him.

Beelzebumon audibly groaned as he opened the door to his room. Yes, he lied to Lilithmon (quite often actually) for Lucemon's sake. Lucemon had told him where he was going when he got back from his recon mission the night before. However, Lucemon never said he would be gone for this long. Although, knowing Lucemon, he probably lost track of time once he got to the Parallel Human World. Besides, it was the anniversary of his brother's death, something Lilithmon must have forgotten.

"Man, he better hurry up before Lilithmon kills the both of us," he said as he closed the door behind him and walked towards his bed. The mattress squeaked slightly underneath him as he sat on his bed. The Demon Lord turned his gaze to the platter of sandwiches he had yet to touch. Ironically, the food did not look appetizing anymore. With an annoyed grunt, Beelzebumon placed the tray on his nightstand before flopping back on his bed.

Beelzebumon rested his claws behind his head as he stared at the ceiling, silently brooding over the two love demons and their current predicament. It was quite obvious that the two were going around each other in circles. With Lilithmon's predictable destructive behavior and Lucemon's avoidance, Beelzebumon was starting to get very, very annoyed. The two had been avoiding each other for months now and if Lucemon didn't do anything tonight, he was going to lock the two of them in a room somewhere in the castle and have them work out their problems.

The thought made Beelzebumon smirk. He was very aware that Lucemon loved Lilithmon, but was afraid to confront her after what happened in the past. Beelzebumon's smirk turned sour at that thought. Lucemon had caused a lot of distraction that day, causing many Digimon on both sides to fear him.

"Damn." Beelzebumon sat up, feeling a migraine coming from all the problems and questions coming and going in his head. "Why can't anything be easy?"

Beelzebumon sighed as he gazed at the shelf filled with toys that he had displayed on the opposite wall. Lucemon was by no means the only one that traveled to other worlds. He and the others had done their fair share of traveling during their free time. Of course, he had traveled to other worlds for totally different reasons.

Beelzebumon's eyes lingered to a particular toy. The toy was a small brown teddy bear with patches of red fur on the head and belly and a dull red eye that had been sewed back into place many times. The old toy had been the first toy he had ever receive as a child. A wise Devimon had given it to him long ago, along with tales of children from other worlds. Toys had always been a sign of innocence and imagination and safety to young ones. Not many Digimon believed what Devimon spoke of was true, however, but he did. And when he traveled to the Parallel Earth by accident for the first time, he had been amazed. The things he had seen in the Human World had amazed him, but it was the children playing with those strange toys that truly caught his interest. Human children had so many toys for different genders and ages and each one was unique and different. Beelzebumon remembered watching the humans from afar as they shopped for different clothing, food, other strange items, and toys. After that day, Beelzebumon had traveled to different worlds, collecting anything from clothing to toys of all kinds, anything that caught his eye. Beelzebumon smiled knowing that no one knew of his trips to other worlds or his collection. No one had ever ventured into his room, nor had they bothered to get to know him.

Lucemon might be the exception, however. The Demon Lord of Pride had always been someone he could talk to, so it wasn't a surprise when they started covering for each other or talking about themselves, even if it was just a little bit. Lucemon knew of his collection for kids' clothing and toys from the other worlds, and a little bit about his past. There wasn't much of his past to really tell, but it was enough to make them close.

"Beelzebumon!" Beelzebumon was startled out of his thoughts at the sound of Leviamon's loud gruff voice outside his door.

"Yeah? What is it?"

"Barbamon is calling for a meeting. We are all meeting in the Planning Room in a half hour."

Beelzebumon stared at the door questioningly. It was a bit late for a meeting and Barbamon usually spent his time trying to track down Goddramon this late at night. If Barbamon was calling them for a meeting then something terrible must have happened. The thought brought a thick dread in the pit of his stomach. Something didn't feel right. "Yeah, I'll be there," he replied after a moment of silence. "Do you know what Barbamon is calling this meeting for?"

"Not sure," Leviamon said much to his disappointment. "But I had heard rumors from some of the Aqua Digimon that another village on land had been destroyed."

Beelzebumon groaned. _Damn._


	4. Viewing Tree

The activities of the Holy Alliance had always been the topic of discussion that would always worry him. When they raided the Holy Kingdom a few months ago, they had managed to destroy the weapon the Holy Digimon were creating. Despite their victory of taking down the Holy Alliance and their main base of operation, they knew the war was far from over. Goddramon and the other leaders had yet to be found. They had retreated during the attack, abandoning their followers and armies behind.

Barbamon frowned as he closed the door to his study. The latest activities of the Holy Alliance (at least what remained of them) greatly worried him. The last known whereabouts seem to locate around the continents of Server, Folder, Cyber, and WWW. Geographically speaking, the four continents were nowhere, by no means, near each other, consider each was being separated by the Net Ocean. In addition, none of these continents were near the Dark Area. The Dark Area was surrounded by powerful Ultimates and Perfect Digimon, including them and Grand Dracumon, and the island was surrounded by a protective aura (that was further enhanced by the Bakemon and Fantomon) that any unwanted Digimon would feel the need to run away in fear and paranoia.

Despite this knowledge, Barbamon could not stop the frustration that coated over him like an old friend, nor the frown that twitched on his lips. He would have so very much liked to send an army to those locations and hunt down the remaining members of the Holy Alliance and finally end this war. However, that would just be too easy. The locations of these sightings (with many being rumors from nearby villages) seemed a little too convenient. What were the odds that as soon as a village was attacked, there was at least two Digimon that either heard or saw the enemy retreating near the mountain region of that continent?

Barbamon hummed at that thought for a moment as he walked down the silent hallway. It was a little too convenient. It could easily be a trap. The mountains regions of those lands were vast. If he were to send someone there, he would need to know the exact location. If not, he would be risking the lives of his men and weaken their defenses in the process. He couldn't afford that. If anything he would want to have a three 'mon team in each of those lands to gather intel, so they could narrow down where the Holy Alliance truly was. Cyber and Server had the most activity, but that could be intentional to throw them off. They would have to play this wisely.

"Stupid Beelzebumon! Stupid Lucemon!" Barbamon was snapped out of his musing as he heard Lilithmon's irritating voice echoing off the walls of his floor. He wasn't concerned that his fellow Demon Lord was on this floor. Besides his room and his private study being on this floor, they also had the library. They come to this floor to use the library one way or another. Well, more him, Lucemon, and Lilithmon then the others. Beelzebumon couldn't care less about "dusty pieces of paper and leather" as he complains quite often and would rather get information by good old interrogation and hunting and Leviamon preferred getting his information from the deeps of the sea, and Demon was a different case altogether.

Barbamon had to mentally chuckle at that. Beelzebumon was the youngest out of all of them and clearly the most childish if his behavior was anything to go by. Despite his childish and sarcastic demeanor, Beelzebumon was a good kid. Barbamon had the liberty of teaching the kid and training him when he was a Wormmon. The kid was smart, very skilled, and wise beyond his years. Lilithmon and Demon might not think so with the way Beelzebumon childishly jokes around them with his smart ass comments. But that was because they didn't know him as well as he and Leviamon did.

Deep down, Barbamon knew Beelzebumon missed the 'mons he had grown up with as a child. Beelzebumon had seen the horrors of the war and had to learn to live through it. This was one of the reasons why he acted so childish. It kept him from remembering those sad times, allowing him to move past it and motivated him, in a sense, to prevent other Digimon from suffering the same fate.

He truly was a good kid.

"Stupid morons!"

Barbamon let out an exasperated sigh as he saw Lilithmon in the library. He frowned at the woman who was glaring at the golden bowl that he used to find their allies if one was ever to go missing. Barbamon could tell very quickly that the woman had just gotten into another fight with Beelzebumon. It wasn't a surprise though. Lilithmon had a terrible lack of patience when it came to their youngest. Though, Barbamon knew the main reason for her temper was due to her inability to get Lucemon to talk to her. It was obvious the two liked each other, but Lucemon was too much of a coward to comfort his fears where there really should not be. Between those three, Barbamon just knew he was going to be driven to drink.

"Did you lose someone?" Barbamon asked as he leaned against the doorframe of the library. Lilithmon grunted in response as she continued to stare at the purple water within the bowl.

"Lucemon left the castle without telling anyone and he has yet to come back!" If this had been something Barbamon hadn't expected, he probably would have inquired more on the subject. But, sadly, it didn't. Lucemon had gone off on his own many times before and had always returned. Although, the reason for his sudden disappearance and if it was a wise choice was debatable. Either way, Barbamon would not want to be Lucemon right now. Lilithmon was, unfortunately, more ticked off than usual. "And the moron refuses to tell me where he went!"

And by 'moron', she probably meant Beelzebumon. Barbamon sighed. This wouldn't be the first time that she allowed her emotions to get the better of her before thinking clearly. The fights between the two have occurred far too many times for his liking.

"Did you even let him explain himself this time?" Barbamon kept his voice and posture void of his annoyance as the other Demon Lord whirled around in her seat and gave him a snarl. Barbamon pointedly ignored the fiery glare that was sent his way. "Of course you didn't." Barbamon frowned as he continued without giving the other a chance to comment. "You are so quick to judge him for his childish behavior without even knowing him."

Lilithmon averted her gaze from his and opted to stare at the ground. At least he was getting through to her. Now only if she would take his words to heart. "I would advise you get your temper in check before you judge him so harshly as you always do." Barbamon moved away from the doorframe and turned to resume his walk to the Planning Room for their meeting. "If you can cool your head within the next fifteen minutes then I would be happy to see you at the meeting." Lilithmon looked up in surprise.

"A meeting?"

"Rather you attend the meeting or not is of no consequence to me." Lilithmon's bright blue eyes flashed in pain as if she was being excluded from the meeting. "If not, you and I will speak when Lucemon returns."

* * *

Legend had always said that the Dark Area was known to be a dark and spooky place. To be the birthplace of the most dangerous and evilest and vilest of Digimon. This was why those who were ignorant called the Dark Area the graveyard for deleted data.

He could not deny of the Dark Area being created from the very darkness or negative energies of the Digital World. That was the truth. He also couldn't deny the level of power the Digimon that lived here had. Many of the Digimon here were plain frightening in appearance and from the powers they wielded. However, everything spread from ignorant and fearful Digimon were simply exaggerating the truth. The Dark Area, like many of the other islands in the Digital World, was covered in trees and rocky mountains (that could be deemed dangerous for a small baby) and was surrounded by the Net Ocean (which had its own amount of dangers). However, because the Dark Area was away from the mainland and barely got any light (the Red Sun was barely as bright as the other two suns) making the Dark Area give off that dark and spooky vibe, and creepy look.

The trees that covered a good portion of the landscape had a dark and eerie vibe to them. The trees were naturally dark and had a sprawling look as branch spread out in all directions, with some hiding the ruins and passageways that lead to Demon's Castle (which he had been kind enough to let them stay in), Grand Dracumon's Castle, and the homes of the other inhabitants that lived here. Living in this part of the forest were several Bakemon, Fantomon, and Bakumon. These Digimon were the first line of defense against intruders.

Lucemon stiffened, pulling the baby closer to his chest as a wave of darkness and fear washed over them, followed by an unsettling sound. Lucemon glanced down at the small child in concern. Wrapped around his chest was a dark brown fabric that Elecmon had a called a sling. Within the sling was Ken who had been wrapped in a light blue blanket (made by Swanmon herself) to keep him warm during their travels. Lucemon's eyes lingered to the child, noticing that he was whimpering in his sleep and that his small hands were clinging to the blanket and balling into little fists. Lucemon found the sound to be very unsettling to his ears and the frightened expression on the baby's face just made the uneasy feeling even more pronounce.

Lucemon knew the Bakemon and Fantomon were just protecting the land and their home from invaders. But he'd be damned if he was going to allow them to make this sweet innocent child feel afraid and unwanted in his new home.

Lucemon hovered several inches above the ground as he used his powers to give off his own warning before planting his feet firmly on the ground. The other Digimon, feeling the challenge of another on their territory, exited their hiding places behind the dark, creepy trees, ready to strike and chase the intruder away. However, they froze upon seeing who they had threatened and unfortunately, it was one of the Great Demon Lords. Said Demon Lord bared his teeth, snarling at the dozen or so Bakemon and a Fantomon that surrounded him and the whimpering child they had sensed enter their forest.

"Harm this child," Lucemon growled threateningly at them as he shifted his gaze from one Ghost Digimon to another, "and it will be the last thing you do."

Lucemon's sharp blue eyes finally landed on the Fantomon that was the leader of this specific group. The Perfect level Digimon's eyes were wide and frightened as he gazed down at him. Every Digimon that was in the Virus Court or heard of it knew of the war on the mainlands. The Demon Lords were known by everyone. They were legendary! And challenging one of the members of the Demon Lords was not wise. They were a frightening group with the powers to destroy worlds if they wanted to. So it was only natural that Fantomon would be the most afraid. It was one thing to be on the receiving end of Piemon's tantrums and weird plans or punishments, but it was something totally different to be on the receiving end of one of the Demon Lords, especially when said Demon Lord had a history of having a frightening temper.

The Ghost Digimon averted his eyes away from the Demon Lord and looked quickly at the small child he had sensed earlier. The child was small and very young. Fantomon could see a small patch of dark hair and wide frightened violet eyes that were just beginning to shimmer with tears. Fantomon swallowed the lump in this throat as he looked away. He had a sinking feeling that the child must have been napping just moments before they gave off their warning. He had not sensed Lucemon when he passed through the gate. Although, the Demon Lords were good at hiding their presence, so it only made sense that Lucemon would be hiding his to avoid detection from the enemy. Besides, even if Lucemon wasn't hiding his presence, Fantomon wouldn't be able to distinguish him from another Digimon anyway. He had not perfected that skill yet, as the others had.

This, however, did not help their cause one bit. Fantomon had done the dangerous thing by challenging one of the Demon Lords. He should have paid attention to the dangerous aura he received when Lucemon gave off his own warning with his powers. Now they were facing the consequence for his mistake.

If Fantomon hadn't been so scared of the repercussion of his actions, he would have noticed the beads or sweat that began to form on the others bodies. He would have seen the others cowering behind him as shock and fear wrecked their bodies when the child began to cry. But he didn't notice any of that. All he noticed was the dark look Lucemon was giving them and it only got darker and more frightening when the baby began to cry. An edge of protectiveness seemed to wash over Lucemon as his glared intensified. Despite his best not to, Fantomon could not prevent the tremor of fear that engulfed him before Lucemon's features softened.

He blinked. Fantomon was sure he wasn't seeing things right. There was no way Lucemon, the Demon Lord of Pride, the Demon Angel of Death, was showing such kindness and gentleness towards a baby. Yet, as they watched the impossible, they couldn't help but feel shocked.

"Shh, it's okay. It's okay, my little one."

Fantomon looked over his shoulder to see the Bakemon looking at Lucemon in equal shock. Many of them had their mouths gaping open, while the others were watching with wide eyes. Lucemon was never this nice or kind. What changed?

"There's nothing to be afraid of. Your safe here."

Fantomon returned his attention to the Demon Lord who was smiling softly at the baby as he tried to soothe his fears. Of course, those were fears that they have caused and, unfortunately for them, they didn't think to silently scatter away into the darkness of the forest when Lucemon was distracted.

Unfortunate being the key word in their situation, considering Lucemon was having no luck at calming the child down. Luck was clearly not on their side when Lucemon's head snapped up to glare at them. No more did Lucemon have that soft, gentle look that he had been wearing a moment ago. Now all that was there was a fierce warrior, the Demon Angel, that would annihilate his enemies for the evil they had committed without an ounce of mercy. And, unfortunately, they were the cause for his anger and rage, making them all flinch in response. If Lucemon had gotten his way, they would have been completely annihilated, their data returning to the Village of Beginnings to be born anew. However, they had been saved.

"Gentlemen, there's no need to shed any bloodshed!"

Actually, he took that back. They were not saved at all. They were now faced with a much bigger problem.

"General Piemon!" Piemon exited from the shadows of the trees on his right, an amused smile was plastered on the clown's face. The sound of Piemon's voice brought shivers down his spine. Piemon was exactly as the rumors say about him: he was downright sinister and frightening. Just like Beelzebumon, being on Piemon's bad side was not wise. It was like cursing your own fate to death.

"I'm sure they did not mean to frighten the child, Lord Lucemon." Despite the cool and apologetic expression on Piemon's face, Fantomon knew they were in trouble. The glint in Piemon's eyes when he looked at them was enough to tell them that he was not pleased. They were so dead.

Lucemon shifted his sharp gaze to Piemon as he chose that moment to interfere. Technically, Piemon had every right to. He was simply acting on whatever orders Beelzebumon had given him. Lucemon too had his own lieutenants, as did Barbamon, Leviamon, Lilithmon, Demon, and Belphemon. However, Lucemon was still very ticked off and didn't really think about how angry Beelzbumon would be if he destroyed a couple of his soldiers.

Piemon must have figured out Lucemon's line of thinking for he had placed himself firmly between him and the frightened group of Bakemon and Fantomon. "Lord Lucemon," Piemon bowed slightly, his hand resting on his left breast, "as the General of the Nightmare Soldiers and as Beelzebumon's second in command I would like to offer my deepest apology for any inconvenience these lackeys may have caused you and your guest."

The Clown and the Angel promptly ignored the "HEY!" coming from one of the Bakemon before he was shushed by Fantomon, who was quite frankly more afraid now then he was before.

Lucemon, however, could not stop the rage that filled him as he plucked the baby out of the sling and held Ken's trembling body in his arms. "That does not excuse their actions!" he snapped. "Ken is absolutely terrified. I do not appreciate having _my_ child thinking that my allies are going to hurt him, just because they did not bother to properly sense who entered through the gate!"

The Ghost Digimon flinched at Lucemon's rage, while Piemon nodded in understanding. "I understand your concerns, Lord Lucemon." Piemon's voice was still calm and apologetic as he spoke to the enraged Demon Lord. "I deeply apologize for their actions. It was never our intentions to make him feel this way." Lucemon's frowned as he tried to soothe the crying baby and his boiling temper. "This will not happen again." Lucemon nodded, knowing Piemon would be swift on spreading the word about the child he had brought into their ranks.

"For your sake, you better hope so," Lucemon's growled threatening that made the group of Ghost Digimon tremble behind their leader. "For if it does, it will be your head on my mantle."

Despite the threat of being beheaded if he did not keep his word, Piemon remained unfazed. "Of course, Lord Lucemon," Piemon simply replied before turning to the group of cowering Digimon. "As for you," Piemon (now addressing the group of cowering Ghost Digimon) now had a dangerous edge in his voice that made the group tremble even more, "return to the headquarters. I will deal will all of you when I return."

"But— " one of the Bakemon tried to protest, but he was hit by Fantomon with his scythe.

"Of course, General Piemon." Fantomon bowed to Piemon respectfully.

"In the meantime, I will be assigning a new group to patrol this area for now on." Piemon stepped forward, his hands folded behind his back when it looked like another Bakemon was about to protest his decision. Piemon's eyes narrowed slightly as he bent forward, practically towering over the group, his voice low and dangerous. "Be grateful that it is me that you are dealing with and not Lord Beelzebumon."

As Piemon turned his back to them, Lucemon faintly wondered how it was possible for the Ghost Digimon to look more white then they were before. "You are all dismissed." Piemon waved his hand in a dismissive motion as he returned his attention to him and Ken. The group of Bakemon and Fantomon quickly scattered away into the darkness, like they have never been there in the first place.

With the looming threat caused by Fantomon gone, Lucemon found himself relaxing and returning his full attention to the cry baby in his arms. Lucemon used his other hand to wipe away the tears that had collected on Ken's cheek as he continued to sob. "It's okay, Ken. They are gone now. You're safe." Lucemon was vaguely aware of Piemon watching him silently as he tried to soothe the child.

After what seemed like hours, Ken finally did calm down, but the fear was still visible in his violet orbs. Lucemon sighed, unsure if there was anything he could do about that. The child had been just born, almost abandoned and killed by this father, and then uprooted to a new, unfamiliar world with strange creatures.

"He's quite a beautiful baby, my Lord." Lucemon nodded at Piemon's comment as he held the child in a comforting embrace. Of course, the child had not taken notice of Piemon. Lucemon began to wonder if he would be afraid of the other when he did take notice of him. "It's a shame," Piemon said with a sigh, "his father was too brainless to not see just how beautiful and precious the child he was trying to abandon truly is." Lucemon was going to respond in agreement to the statement, that was until he realized that Piemon knew of what transpired on Earth between the child and the Human Male.

Lucemon's head snapped up, more in confusion than anything else. Piemon simply smiled at him, knowing that he would connect the dots on his own. And he did. It didn't take long to figure out how he must have known this information without being there. Or to be more accurate — who put him up to this.

"Beelzebumon put you up to this, didn't he?"

Piemon tilted his head at the question. "He was worried." Piemon smiled as the baby began shifting in his arms. "You were quite…agitated his morning when you left," Piemon continued as Ken began to look around his new surroundings. "He just wanted me to keep an eye on you and report to him…" Piemon trailed off dramatically, tilting his head slightly, looking as if he was searching for a word. "Be-fore something bad happened."

Before Lucemon could even comment on that, violet orbs finally landed on Piemon. Piemon flashed a smile, showing his pearly whites, at the small child. "Why hello there?" Piemon greeted. "Curious little thing, ain't ya?" However, that may have gotten the opposite effect than he intended. Piemon's smile fell as violet orbs widened in fear and began to fill up with a fresh batch of tears.

Lucemon found himself frowning as well. Piemon may be a bit sadistic (and may be a little intimidating), but he hated seeing any child hurt or upset (and that involved crying) just as must as Beelzebumon did. Lucemon watched as Piemon sighed, rather dramatically, before reaching into his back pocket and pull out a small toy. Lucemon blinked at the toy. The small toy was a yellow plush giraffe. The giraffe had an orange nose, big black eyes, orange and yellow ears, and two blue horns on top of its head. The giraffe had a yellow crinkle body that had three half circles on its body, a stubby tail, and two round feet.

"Here you go." Piemon shook the giraffe. The small toy produced a rattling sound, which quickly caught the baby's attention and curiosity and stopped the tear before they could fall. "No sweet little baby should go without his very own toy." This earned a coo from said baby. The two of them chuckled as Piemon gave the baby the peace offering. At least they managed to stop him from crying.

Once the toy was placed in Lucemon arms and between him and the child, Ken cooed as his small arms touched the toy. The two of them smiled as they watched the newborn snuggle into the softness of his first toy. This made Lucemon warm up inside. When he first found Ken, he had nothing to call his own. The child had been so scared and so very close to death. But now he looked so happy, despite being in a strange world. _Shame he'll never get to know this mother and how much she loved him._ The thought made Lucemon's smile faltered a bit.

One day, when he was older, Ken would realize he was different from the rest of them. It would only be a matter of time before he would start asking questions about where he came from and his heritage. That day won't be for many years now, but Lucemon knew he would not have the answers for those questions. He had no idea who the child mother was and he didn't even want to think about the father. Lucemon knew he was going to dread the day when Ken learned the truth of how he ended up with him and when he did he hoped it wouldn't damage the sweet innocent child he was growing to love.

"I'm not so scary now, am I?" Lucemon returned his focus to Piemon, who was flashing a smile at the baby. This time Ken didn't seem threatened by the other Digimon. In fact, Ken only response was to coo tiredly before he snuggled into Lucemon's chest with his new toy cushioned under his head to serve as a pillow. "Aww, guess he's tired."

Lucemon gently placed the baby back into the sling, making sure he was warm and secure. In response, the baby yawned and then drifted to sleep in seconds. "He's had a long day."

"I know." Lucemon returned his gaze to the other Digimon, a small frown twitching at the corners of his lips.

"How?" Lucemon asked. How could Piemon possibly know what happened on Earth anyway? He never once sensed Piemon when on Earth.

Piemon flashed a smile at him. However, the smile he gave him wasn't like the one he gave Ken. That one was a harmless smile, a welcoming smile. The smile Piemon gave him told him that Piemon was not going to utter a word. He was going to make him figure it out on his own. Damn clown.

Piemon lifted his hand and gestured in a 'follow me' gesture before turning on his heel and walking in the direction from here he came from. A frustrated sigh left his lips. It was obvious Piemon wasn't going to flat out tell him what he wanted to know, so Lucemon had no choice but to follow the Clown Digimon deeper into the forest.

The forest grew more thicker and darker the further they went. Every few seconds, Lucemon glanced at the sleeping child. As the seconds grew to minutes and as the minutes grew to hours, Lucemon found his wings twitching in anxiety. Lucemon's eyes glanced around every so often when he heard a passing Digimon. Lucemon grumbled, knowing that he was being ridiculous. The Dark Area was the safest place in the Digital World to be, but that did nothing to the protective instincts that were overtaking his mind and reflexes.

"Where are we going, General Lieutenant Piemon?" Piemon glanced back at him with a smile still plastered on this face. Although, Piemon always seemed to be smiling. The only time he ever not smiled was when he was frustrated, or disappointed.

"Tell me, Lord Lucemon. Has Lord Beelzebumon ever told you about the Mysterious Forest of Televisions." Lucemon frowned in thought. Beelzebumon did mention something about that a while ago.

"He has," Lucemon said with a raised brow. "They are nothing but a legend, however. There is very little information about them. But these trees are supposed to show a glimpse of other worlds." At least that was what Beelzebumon have told them anyway.

"Exactly!" Both Digimon came to a sudden stop as Piemon turned to face the other, with his arms spread out wide. There a twinkle of excitement in Piemon's eyes. "These trees are not just a legend. You see these trees were very common in the Digital World, back then. Back in ancient times, when the Digital World was first being created the Homeostasis created several beings to help in this process. These beings were ENIAC, Yggdrasill, Sakuyamon: Miko Mode, Wisemon, and Anubimon."

Lucemon listened to Piemon with interest as they began to walk again. He knew of the story of ENIAC and Yggdrasill. ENIAC was the one that created the foundation of the Digital World. But that was all they knew of it. Now Yggdrasill was a different story. Yggdrasill lived in the Network Sever and oversees the Digital World's development with the help of the Royal Knights. Lucemon and the other Demon Lords did not see eye to eye with those knights, however. The Royal Knight did nothing when they saw the conflict between the two groups. The only time they finally made themselves known was when they ambushed the Holy Kingdom. There had been a huge fight between them and they hadn't seen the Knights after that. Though, that could have been because Homeostasis made it clear that they were to fix the damage and to lead the Digimon to a new era of peace. The Royal Knights were probably not happy about that.

"Now, I know you know about ENIAC and Yggdrasill. But what you don't know is that ENIAC was in charge of creating the first Digital World, Digital Prime. Digital Prime is where all the Ancient Digimon lived and thrived." Lucemon's other brow rose up to join the other as he took in that information.

"What this has to do with the Forest of Televisions then?" Lucemon asked, only to get a finger in a shushing gesture.

"Patience, Lord Lucemon." Lucemon frowned but allowed Piemon to continue. "Like I was saying, once Digital Prime was created other worlds where created. I'm sure you remember Witchelny. That's one of the other Digital Worlds from another dimension before it was destroyed." Lucemon nodded. They all knew of Witchelny. Medieval Dukemon told them of the war that destroyed their world. "On each of these worlds, where the Forest of Televisions. These trees populated the world and were nurtured and guarded by Sakuyamon: Miko Mode, Wisemon, and Anubimon."

Lucemon blinked. Now that was interesting. "What happened?"

Piemon smile faltered a bit. "War and corruption." Lucemon found himself frowning as well. "When the inhabitants, learned of the abilities these trees had, they sought to use it to watch their enemies. You see, my Lord, not only do the trees allow you to view a glimpse of other worlds. It also allows you to look into the past and the future."

Lucemon's widened in shock. If what Piemon was telling him was true then whoever looked at it could use it to change history or to spy on their enemies. Lucemon shuddered as his thoughts lingered to Goddramon. What would happen if he got ahold of that kind of knowledge?

"Because of this, they allowed their anger and hatred and desire for conflict and power brought the beginning of corruption." Lucemon gazed at him with a sense of dread. "These Digimon from these other dimensions brought nothing but death and destruction. One day the three Digimon were faced with a power hungry Digimon who had wanted to steal the abilities of these special Digimon. The four fought and as a result of their combined powers came the destruction of that dimension." Lucemon found himself, subconscious, pulling Ken a little closer to him as a feeling horror struck his core. "ENIAC and Yggdrasill were forced to create new worlds. But without Sakuyamon: Miko Mode, Wisemon, and Anubimon they couldn't create as many viewing trees as those three had. It's now a rarity for a world to even have these viewing trees."

As Piemon finished the tale, Lucemon could not even comment on it. It was one thing to learn how the world was created, but to also learn how a Digimon would go so low...just to get power was…

Lucemon shook his head to clear his thoughts. He wasn't sure what to think. It was no wonder why many passed this as a legend. Only those special Digimon had the power to create these trees and keep them alive. And now there was barely any left.

"So these trees are extinct then?"

Piemon didn't respond to the question and just kept walking. Lucemon, unsure of what to do, followed the other Digimon. The two walked in silence and it wasn't until they stopped at a clearing, where the trees separated and formed a circle, did Piemon speak again. "Not exactly."

In the middle of the clearing, surrounded by tall trees, was a huge tree. The tree looked very old and was different compared to the other trees in the Dark Area. The tree was as tall and similar in color to the rest of the trees in the Dark Area. But this tree didn't have as many branches as the others did. This tree only had four branches that were filled with leaves. The leaves blended in with the rest of the normal trees, hiding it from detection. And on the bark was a rectangular portal.

Lucemon took in a startled breath. "Is that…?"

Piemon nodded. "A viewing tree. The last one in existence."


	5. A Mother's Wish

The cold chains rattled as he stumbled away from the sharp pain that cracked against his back. The Holy Angel withered and screamed in agony as more of his white wings were torn from his back. The Digimon grinded his teeth as parts of his flesh bubbled and peeled from where dark flames had touched him. Dots flashed behind his eyelids as he tried to breath in through the pain. But it was hard. His body shook with exhaustion and pain as his captors stopped their torture when the Demon Lord told the female Digimon to stop. She had been unaware of another entering the medium sized rocky cell.

Fresh blood oozed from wounds that had yet to heal, falling down his battered body and landing on the cold stone floor forming a puddle in its wake. His wrist throbbed and ached as they were hung above his head. He had long since given up trying to free himself. He knew there was no escape. Ever since the fall of the Holy Kingdom and after realizing that the Four Great Leaders had abandoned them to save their own hind, he knew it was all over.

The Holy Digimon panted weakly. His chest ached, not only from the stinging of the whip but from the beating he had gotten from one of his ex-comrades. He was sure he had a few broken ribs, all caused by those he used to fight alongside with. Angemon struggled to take a breath, silently thankful for the breather; however, he knew deep down he did not deserve it. After decades of hearing the Four Great Leaders drilling into their minds over and over again that the Digimon of the 'Evil Virus Court' were monsters, unwanted pests that just wanted to destroy the balance of the Digital World. They only wanted to cause havoc to their everyday lives, to cause death, to cause pain.

It was a cleansing, they had said as their excuse for their actions when they began to doubt, it was the only way to save the Digital World from the "monsters". He had believed them, like his father, and his father's father had before him. He had joined the Holy Alliance to make a difference, to take back what was said to be there's. But as years went by, he had fallen in love with the very thing he had sought to destroy.

His wife had been a beautiful Bastemon. His wife had been a retired soldier of the Virus Court, having served since she was a Mikemon. It was from her that he learned about the Virus Court and the lies that he had been feed about them. He had soon learned of the current members of the Demon Lords and the true reason why the Great Leaders feared them.

Back then (in a time when Demon Lords had not yet joined together like they are now), each member of the members had a name for themselves. Each was powerful and frightening in their own way. They were powerful. They were frightening. They were ruthless. They were legendary.

Angemon remembered the embarrassment and horror he felt as his wife told him the stories of her youth and her time in Lucemon's service. It hadn't taken him very long to realize that everything he had been told as a child was a lie. The Demon Lords nor the Virus Digimon (nor the few Data Digimon that sided with them) were the 'monsters' or 'destroyers of life' as the Great Leaders of the Holy Alliances implanted in their minds since they were children.

It had been them. They were the monsters. They were the destroyers that everyone feared. They were the ones that were killing and killing and killing with the end result being the death of his brethren and the possible destruction of the Digital World.

Oh, how he wished he had known this sooner. It would have saved the thousands he had killed during his time of service. He hadn't and he knew he was paying for his crimes. It was a simple fact that he would die and he accepted that. Bastemon and their little one had been killed by those that had once been his allies. He had been unable to save them. He had been a coward and fled, unable to do anything.

He deserved to die.

He knew the Demon Lords' wanted information about the whereabouts of those cowardly, backstabbing Digimon he had once served so faithfully. But there was not much he could say. He simply did not know. No one did.

They had fled the Holy Kingdom just before the Virus Court's army ambushed the kingdom. The Four Great Leaders had fled and went into hiding, he assumed.

Their current location was a mystery. Even to him.

"It seems he doesn't know anything, my sweet." Angemon opened his eyes to see the arachnid woman that had started the interrogation after Beelzebumon had dumped him in this cold room, gazing down at him in disapproval. That actually hurt a lot more than he liked.

The female Digimon turned her piercing eyes away from him and regarded the other Digimon that spoke. Unlike Lilithmon's top advisor and lieutenant, Lucemon's lieutenant had not transformed into his Digimon form. The other had stayed in his humanoid form, not assisting, simply watching, much like Demon. But even so, his single yellow brought a slight shiver down his spine. Could it be that he had a message from the Demon Lord of Pride? Could he be coming to relieve Demon or assist him in interrogating him?

Angemon swallowed nervously. He honestly prayed that wasn't the case. Out of all the Demon Lords, Lucemon was the most terrifying. Demon was cruel and ruthless through and through and had made it clear that he would burn him to his core if he did not talk. He was terrifying, but Lucemon was even more so.

Demon had a terrifying temper that would make anyone coward. However, one would beg to not be in the same room as Lucemon, especially for the fact that he was known to be very unpredictable. It was rumored that Lucemon had no soul, for one could not judge his emotions by simply gazing at him. There were many rumors said about the Demon Lord of Pride. One such one was that Lucemon could kill a 'mon swiftly or tortured them for days on end until they spilled everything and begged for their lives just moments before the Demon Lord pierced their chest and ripped out their DigiCore.

No one who ever encountered the Leader of the Demon Lords ever lived to tell the tale.

"Don't be so foolish, Mummymon," Archnemon said with a cluck of her tongue. It was obvious she was annoyed with this interruption. The Arachnid Digimon's claw tightened around the hilt of the whip as she gazed at the other. "He knows something. It's only a matter of time," Archnemon said coolly with a frown on her features as she gazed at the other in annoyance. "What are you doing here? Has Lord Lucemon returned?"

"No." Mummymon shook his head, much to Archnemon's annoyance.

"You have no idea where he is, do you?" Archnemon asked with a snort of disgust.

Angemon coughed weakly, his body working overtime to try and fight against the pain and blood loss. _Lucemon's missing?_

"What makes you think that?" Mummymon asked, only to get a deadpanned look in response. The Lieutenant General of Pride signed as he regarded his comrade. "Archnemon, you and I both know that Lord Lucemon does what he wants when he wants. It is not easy to track his every move."

Despite his calm tone, Angemon could practically sense the tension between the two as the conversation progressed. Archnemon clearly thought Mummymon was an idiot. Angemon was having a hard time trying to place Mummymon's emotions, but he had a feeling the other was feeling insulted and hurt by her indifference attitude and words.

"Clearly."

If he had known any better, he would have thought the two were an old married couple.

Mummymon leaned against the wall as he regarded his female companion. His single yellow eye gazed into her's as his arms stiffly rested at his sides. Mummymon's hand tighten slightly around the handle of his cane as he fought against his emotions. Archnemon's words must have struck a nerve. "You really think me and Devimon hadn't been tracking Lucemon since Gennai told us that he'd saw Lord Lucemon leaving early this morning?" Yup, definitely hurt.

Archnemon snorted once again as she tossed the whip aside. Her body simmered as she reverted back to her humanoid form. "And what a wonderful job you guys are doing." The comment would have been a compliment, an innocent one among allies if it weren't for the sarcasm that laced the Arachnid's words. "You two should get a reward."

Mummymon's body became rigged, his eye narrowing slightly as his resolve slowly began to crumble. Thankfully before an argument could spring forth, Demon decided he had heard enough of their squabbling.

"Enough!"

Angemon stiffened at the cruel voice of Demon coming from somewhere near the dark part of the cell that was cast in total darkness. Demon's temper and cruel nature were legendary and frightening, especially when he was angry or annoyed. And boy was he angry.

Mummymon and Archnemon stiffened at Demon's voice and watched in silence, giving each other nervous glances, as he stepped out of the shadows, stopping a good foot away from them and looming over them with a piercing look that would cause even Magnamon to look away.

"If you two are going to talk then talk, but I will not tolerate childish bickering while there are things that need to done!" Demon's eyes narrowed dangerously as he picked up the two up by the scruff of their necks, lifting them so they were eye level. The two Digimon were stiff as Demon spoke. The semi-dark prison-like chamber just seemed to make Demon's deep, gruff voice even more unfriendly and menacing. "There are Digimon dying out there and we have yet to find _them!_ I will not tolerate such behavior in my presence! If you two are going to bicker then do it on the battlefield or on your own time, is that clear?"

Angemon trembled slightly as he gazed at Demon. Demon was truly a fearsome Digimon. Angemon had never fought the Digimon himself, but he had heard stories of the other by comrades that had witness Demon in action. However, Demon was more scarer in person. From the stories he heard about as a young soldier, Demon was always said to be a mysterious Beast Digimon with an immense amount of power. No one truly knew what he looked like or what type of powers or weapons he wielded for he was always hiding behind a cloak.

He wasn't wearing a cloak now.

"A-as you wish, Lord Demon," Archnemon choked out just as Demon released his grasp on her. The Arachnid Digimon yelped as she landed on the cold floor. Archnemon groaned as she sat on the cold floor in a daze. The female Digimon attempted to move her long silvery-blonde hair that was covering her pale face, only slightly aware that her red and purple hat had gone flying off her head the moment Demon grabbed them. Once her hair was out of her face, it only took her a moment to realize that that Mummymon was still in Demon's furry purple claw.

Mummymon swallowed nervously as Demon held him tightly, his eyes narrowing dangerously. "Un-un-derstood," Mummymon mumbled stiffly, unable to avert his gaze away from the Demon Lord.

Demon exhaled slowly, grunting slightly at the headache that had started to build when the two grown morons began their ridiculous bickering. He was truly thankful for the brief silence before giving Mummymon a piercing look. "Now why are you down here, Mummymon? I highly doubt you and Devimon managed to find Lucemon."

"We haven't," Mummymon confirmed as his hand fuddled with the button on his blue trench coat. "Both Gennai and Barbamon had wanted me to deliver a message to the both of you."

Demon frowned at him, clearly not liking that his lieutenant had not bothered to come down to speak to him himself the moment he returned from his mission. "And why didn't he come down himself?" He hadn't been aware that Gennai returned apparently.

"He said there was something he needed to attend to," Mummymon replied, which just made the Demon Lord frown a little bit more. "He said he will speak to you after the meeting though." This caught both Demon and Archnemon by surprise. Ultimately, causing Demon to drop Mummymon right on top of Archnemon, who had been too stunned by the information to move out of the way.

"A meeting? I don't recall Barbamon scheduling a meeting today, especially one this late at night."

"Well," Mummymon said after Archnemon pushed him off of her, causing him to land on his back, "something happened," Mummymon grunted slightly, wincing in pain as he sat up. "I'm not sure of the details, but it was enough to cause Lord Barbamon to call an emergency meeting."

"Hell better be freezing over," Demon grumbled under his breath as he turned to make his way towards the door, clearly annoyed, his temper rising just a bit more. Mummymon grunted once again and manage to caught a glance at Archnemon, who was watching Demon leave.

"What should I do with the prisoner?" Archnemon asked as she and Mummymon managed to get their bearings together to get to their feet.

Demon paused at the open door, not even looking back to them as he replied. "Archnemon, finish up here and send one of the Medical Digimon to tend to his injuries. We will continue the interrogation in the morning."

"Of course," came Archnemon response as Demon closed the door behind him with a slam.

* * *

The two Digimon kept their eyes on the door long after Demon left. There was something about this situation that did not feel right to them. It wasn't odd for Lucemon to leave whenever he liked. As Mummymon said, he tended to leave for long periods of times without telling anyone. He was careful that way. However, it was rather odd that Gennai just so happened to see Lucemon leave early this morning, and only him.

Archnemon frowned a bit as she moved her silvery-blonde hair off her shoulder. There was something strange going on. Over the past few weeks, villages with powerful Digimon and their supply camps were being attacked and destroyed. It was probably nothing. The Holy Alliance was known to be sneaky bastards that would do anything to destroy them. But how was it that they were able to find their secret bases, with locations that were only known by a select few?

Archnemon narrowed her eyes a bit in thought. Could it be possible that they had a mole?

"Would you like me to get one of the Medical Digimon, my sweet?" Archnemon ignored the endearment that was used to address her, opting to consider Mummymon's offer instead.

"If you don't mind," she replied coolly as she turned to look at him. "If you happen to see Mastemon, mind sending her down as well?"

Mummymon smiled brightly and replied something along the lines of "Anything for you, my sweet!" before leaving in his pursuit to find the other lieutenant and Medical Digimon

Once she was alone with the prisoner, Archnemon finally allowed the breath she had been holding to leave her body in a long slow sigh. It was truly moments like this in where she wished she was still that wise, naive healer. A time before she had been approached by Ophanimon all those centuries ago.

Archnemon allowed another wistful sigh to escape before she turned her gaze to the pitiful Angel Digimon.

The Digimon's body was littered with bruises that were now turning black and blue, cuts that were deep enough to draw blood, but not enough to kill him, and black burns that were bad enough to peel this skin. Archnemon just gazed at him for a moment, frowning a disgruntled frown as she saw her past-self (instead of the angel) chained and bleeding from wounds caused by the 'mon that had attacked and raped her on that fateful day.

Archnemon shook the memory away, happy to see the vision of her past-self fading away to the long distant past. It was a part of her life that she wished she could forget, ever since she had Dark Evolved to this form.

The angel gazed at her pitifully, his breath coming out in short pain intervals. His eyes, that would have been a bright green color was now dull and unfocused. It had been a long twenty-four hours since Lord Beelzebumon brought him here. They have given him only water and crackers to sustain him as they conducted their on and off interrogation. They didn't want him to die on them. He knew something, something they could use. She knew it.

But as she gazed at him coldly, watching as he struggled to breathe through the pain, trying to stay conscious, she couldn't help but wonder: Why? Normally she would have killed the other Digimon. He was nothing but a pawn of the Holy Alliance, willingly killing to destroy all that was not in their perfect little world.

Archnemon loathed the Digimon of his kind, especially after what she had been through. It was a past she would rather forget. But that was what defined her today, wasn't it?

Archnemon shook that thought away. It didn't matter now. She was no longer Lilamon; that naive healer that wanted to protect others and believe there could be peace among their kinds was dead. It was a foolish dream she realized. But if she learned anything from her time serving the Holy Alliance, it was that: one must not trust so blindly; one must not be open about one's opinions; and finally, men Digimon must not be trusted.

 _But what about Mummymon?_ Archnemon hated the small soft voice of her past-self. It could never truly leave her.

Archnemon was silent as she walked towards the other Digimon, her thoughts drifting to Mummymon. After what she had experienced, she knew the real reason why she couldn't accept Mummymon's feeling. It wasn't that she hated him. He was annoying, yes. He got on her nerves and made her want to punch him, but it was in a good way. He would do anything for her, despite how badly she treated him.

He was an idiot.

A lovable, sweet idiot.

But she could never acknowledge, nor accept his affections with an open heart.

He was a male, just like the one that had harmed her.

She hated them all.

But then why did she want to bask in the love he had for her? Why did she want to accept his kind words and hugs? Why did he have to care about her?

Archnemon's shoes clicked on the cold stone floor as she stopped in front of the battered and bruised Digimon. The Digimon trembled at her intense gaze, not that he could see them. But Archnemon could and what she saw in those green orbs made her push aside her feelings for how distaste men were. She simply gazed at him, knowing that there was something different about him.

She could tell he had done his fair share of killing. They all had killed their fair share of Digimon throughout the war. But for some reason, she couldn't shake the feeling that he wanted to die. There was grief in his dull green eyes. It was a look she knew all too well. It was a look of a broken heart, a broken soul, a broken 'mon. Defeated. He was defeated. It was a look she had seen in herself so many times before.

Archnemon gripped his chin in her purple-gloved hand. She so desperately wanted to torture him, to force him to reveal every piece of knowledge he knew about her Mistress's father and those morons that started this godforsaken war.

But she couldn't. Something was holding her back. She narrowed her eyes. It was his fear, she realized. But of what exactly?

Was it because of her? Possibly. She had been the one interrogating him for the last twenty hours.

Of Demon? Archnemon mentally snorted at that. Who wouldn't be afraid of Demon? Not only was he a Demon Lord, who was feared by even the most powerful of Digimon, but he was known to have a very big temper. One that was bigger than her own.

Of Death?

Archnemon reached out her other hand to remove her purple-tinted glasses, revealing orbs the color of freshly cut rubies. She stared into his eyes, searching for the answer to the question that was bothering her.

"Why?" Angemon was not afraid to die. He wanted it. Craved it. But, why?

The other looked confused at her question, not understanding what she was referring to. Her eyes narrowed at him as she lifted up his head, holding his face tightly in her hand.

"Why do you wish to die?"

* * *

"What could possibly have happened that he had to do a meeting now?" Demon was not in a good mood to put it lightly. He had spent the last two weeks looking through the remains of their destroyed supply camps. Three had been completely destroyed. From what he could gather, whoever attacked it knew of the security features they had in place to not trip the alarm. They even seemed to know the schedule of the Digimon that were guarding the facilities.

The Holy Alliance had a good five hundred soldier that had managed to escape the ambush and even more followers they may not be aware of. As far as he could tell, this was an inside job. Whoever attacked the three bases, knew of its locations. No one knew of them beside him and the other Demon Lords, their lieutenants, those stationed at the bases, and the senior ranking members of their forces.

Demon suspected a mole. It was the only thing that made sense. How else would the Holy Alliance know of their bases and disappear before they even realize what was going on before it was too late? That was why he had Gennai scouting the areas and the members of their forces. It would be difficult finding the mole. He had no suspects and no idea who it could be. They had many enemies and even more Digimon who would do anything just because they were afraid of them.

He hated keeping the others in the dark, but he had to be careful. He didn't know who to trust. The mole could be one of the Demon Lords or even one of their lieutenants.

Demon frowned as he reached the floor that led to the room where they hold all of their meetings. Demon did not want to personally think that one of the others had been possibly lacking information to Goddramon and his allies. They all hated the Alliance and was greatly affected by them in a way. They all fought against them and even worked together in the past, proving their loyalty. However, Demon couldn't be certain. He didn't know any of them well enough to say for sure. It had always been him, the wise Shamamon, the Demon Corp, and Gennai for the longest time. He trusted them all with this life.

But as time went on, he soon came to learn that there were others he could rely on. But could he truly trust his fellow Demon Lords? He wanted to. He truly did. But could they be trusted to not betray him in the end?

Demon shoved that thought away as he reached the open door of the Throne Room. Although, the others tend to call it the Planning or War Room. But with just cause. The room was located beneath the ground that the castle rested on. Beyond their quarters, their lieutenants' quarters, and even the dungeons was a huge cavern that had been converted into a spacious room. To the far left of the room was a lake that connected to the ocean outside. In the middle of the room was a huge oval table with throne-like chair (engraved with each of their Crests) surrounding them. Hence, why he called it the Throne Room.

Decorating one of the walls of the room were a variety of weapons: swords, whips, shields, battle axes, mace, bows and arrows and crossbows, spires, and shuriken. Demon felt one could not be too careful. If his home was ever infiltrated, they could always come here to protect themselves. This room was a safe haven. A barrier (curtsey of Barbamon) surrounded the room. No one but them and their lieutenants could enter this room.

On the other walls were different maps of all the islands in the Digital World and books. Several sticky notes (written in Barbamon's handwriting) were scattered around the wall and pinned to a specific map. Each note talked great detail about their findings over the several past months. He glanced at the maps with a frown. There were even more areas circled, next to them were even more handwritten notes that he couldn't make out from this distance. Barbamon sure had been busy. He didn't remember them being there when they had a meeting a week ago.

Demon trained his eyes around the huge room. Leviamon and Beelzebumon were talking among themselves at the table while Belphemon was sleep as per usual. _Looks like not everyone is here._ Other then Lucemon, who left before anyone was awake, Barbamon and Lilithmon were not present, unfortunately.

"Come one! You can't come here with a bag filled with endless possibilities and then tell me I can't look inside of it!"

Demon blinked as he turned his focus to the very childish and annoying Demon Lord, only now realizing that the annoying, wooden pinocchio was there as well. Perfect.

"Piemon said this was for Lord Lucemon's new member," Pinochimon said with a shrug, not fazed by Beelzebumon's obvious frustration. Beelzebumon was now pouting childishly. His posture sagged slightly in his designated throne chair and his eyes were watching Pinochimon's every move as if the action would make Pinochimon change his mind. It didn't.

Demon could only sigh in exasperation as he felt a headache forming. Beelzebumon was his least favorite. He was childish. Unpredictable and very, very annoying. In fact, he was sure Beelzebumon and Leviamon had it out for him. The two were always working together to make his life a living hell. Demon did not want to think about the decorating they did to his room last month when he accidentally destroyed his room in a fit of rage. He was absolutely horrified. It also didn't help that the two were singing some ridiculous tone from this other planet that he couldn't remember the name to.

"Are you telling me that you will listen to Piemon over me?!" Beelzebumon's childishly whined as Pinochimon placed two duffle-bags on the table. Beelzebumon's eyes lingered on the bag in curiosity. His eyes search for a moment as if the bags would open on their own and reveal their contents. "New member?" Beelzebumon asked as he returned his eyes to his lieutenant, his voice questioning, confused. "Who?

For once, he wasn't the only one. Demon found himself just as confused. It was rare for their leader to bring a new member to their ranks. He wasn't the most trusting of Digimon. Usually, Lucemon would have a Digimon go through a series of tests before allowing him or her to enter their folds and it was even more so for one to be welcomed in their home base. This was certainly odd.

Pinochimon shrugged. "Piemon didn't really say. All he said was that Lucemon is very fond of his new guy and to give him this when he gets here." Pinochimon moves his sore shoulder. "Not sure what's in them but they are kinda heavy."

"That's odd," Beelzebumon mumbled, his finger tapping the table as he thought. "Did he say anything else?"

The Puppet Digimon shook his head. "No. That's all he told me before he teleported away, saying something about a dispute he had to resolve before it got out of hand."

Demon snorted at that, catching the others' attention. "The Bakemon are probably fighting again." Demon entered the huge archway, his pale blue, almost gray eyes glaring at the three as he spoke. "I don't know why you have them guarding the gate and the borders, knowing full well that they are worthless, cowardly, weak Digimon."

Beelzebumon grimaced at that. It seemed he somewhat agreed with him. However, there was still the aspect of his recent recruits that needed to be addressed. Demon had expected Beelzebumon to defend those worthless Digimon. However, it wasn't him who spoke up.

"Demon, not everyone is as highly trained and knowledgeable in the art of combat and dark magic as you are." Demon had expected that from the Demon Lord of Greed. "You should know the best out of all of us that we all have the ability to reach our full potential. Some just find it faster than most." Demon frowned as he stepped aside to allow Barbamon into the room. The other nodded his head slightly in gratitude as he walked into the room. Demon regarded the other silently for a moment, pondering how horrible it would be if Barbamon was the mole. It was not something he wanted to think about.

"You really shouldn't judge by appearances, Dai," Beelzebumon said as he took his seat.

"Oh, really?" Demon regarded the other suspiciously. The other had always been a thorn in his side since the beginning. He made it his life mission to annoy him, starting with that annoying alternate name for him when he visited one of those other worlds. Daimon was not how you spell his name. Demon? Yes. Daimon or even Daemon or one of the many other spellings? No, hell no.

"Yup," Beelzebumon said with a confident smile as he picked up the bag by the straps and placed it on the floor next to him. "Many of them are still getting used to their powers. You'll be surprised." Demon eyed the other in annoyance as he watched his fellow Demon Lord get comfortable in his chair, his boots prompted on the table and his arms laying lazily across his chest. "They're more powerful then they look." _Cocky brat._

From next to Beelzebumon, Demon noticed that Pinochimon was smiling just as cocky, with a tad of mischievousness. "Big things do come in small packages after all, just like those Marin Angemon that defeated your army a few months back." Demon's eyes narrowed slightly. Demon had not wanted to be reminded of that horrible day. It had been a week or two before they ambushed the Holy Kingdom. Demon had several of his best 'mon to infiltrate the kingdom. One group were disguised as soldiers and prisoners, while the other group was to spy from the outside. The mission had been to find a weakness in the structure. The first group managed to sneak into the base without any incident. It was funny how overconfident the Holy and Data Digimon were. Although, that was only because the second group had been blindsided by a bunch of small, weak, pink flying abominations.

Demon's right eye twitched. Beelzebumon or one of his little ducklings would always bring it up. He was never going to hear the end of it. "Didn't we end up saving them, though?" Beelzebumon feigned innocence, which only made Demon grind his teeth together in agitation. Yes, that was exactly what happened, but he wasn't going to admit it. Oh, no. He was not going to give that smug, brat that satisfaction.

Pinochimon snickered at his reaction, sensing his growing temper. Demon was ever good at staying calm. He had a habit of acting first, thinking later. And now seemed to be one of those times. "Please, don't make me laugh! They couldn't even defeat a Numemon!" He was thankful that his seat was next to the Demon Lord of Sloth and not next to the very annoying, very childish Digimon that he so desperately wished he could never see again as long as he lived. "You and I both know that those pathic Digimon wouldn't know a strong opponent even if it was right in front of them. I've seen them in action! They haven't been through what we've been through. They haven't fought against the most powerful members of the Holy Alliance. They are weak in comparison to them." He slammed his fists on the table. "As far as I am concerned they are a weak, worthless, pathetic lot that should not be in war in the first place!"

Silence filled the room. No one said anything, not even Beelzebumon, surprisingly. From the corner of his eye, Demon noticed Barbamon frown slightly as he placed more notes on the map. Belphemon only gave the slightest of movements, a single eye-opening slightly. He had heard the whole thing. Beelzebumon merely frowned at him, clearly not liking what he was hearing. Beelzebumon eyed him silently, his eyes hard and it was then when he noticed the fierce protectiveness that was in those orbs. In that moment, Demon realized that there was no way the kid could be a mole. He was too loyal, too protective of those he cared about.

"You may be right," he said in a voice that was no longer teasing, no longer playful. "The Digimon under my care have not seen war. They were lucky enough to be born after those horrible times. They have only seen bits and pieces from this safe haven. But let me tell you this, Demon, they are not weak. They will get stronger, wiser. They will learn and fight for this world, just as we are. They all have the potential. They just need someone to bring it out. They need someone that understands them."

Demon didn't respond. How could he? Beelzebumon was right, but he would never say that out loud.

Silence filled the room again and much to his relief Barbamon decided to start the meeting. "Wait what about Princess and Lucemon?" Beelzebumon asked, allowing the Puppet Digimon to make his departure so they could get on with their meeting.

"With Lucemon currently missing, we have to assume he is on a secret mission." The three of them nodded, minus Belphemon who had returned to sleep. But they all knew he was half awake, listening to the conversations around him

"Pinochimon informed us that Lucemon is returning with a new member," Leviamon informed him.

"I see." Barbamon's hand ran through his long white beard, his voice reflecting his puzzlement. "This Digimon must be very important and close to Lucemon if he is bringing him here." Demon nodded at his thinking, he had come to that conclusion as well.

"I wonder who this guy is," Beelzebumon said as his eyes shifted to the bag on the floor.

"We won't know until they get here," Barbamon said as he took a seat. "Though, I find it a bit odd that Lucemon would allow someone to get that close to him. He's never being the sensitive type." Lucemon was a very odd individual. Demon, honestly, could never put his finger on what Lucemon was thinking at any moment. The 'mon always keep things to himself. He was always holding back as if he was afraid of something. Demon couldn't figure it out though. Lucemon was quite powerful for a Perfect and the rumor about his Ultimate form was something to consider, given how relucent he was to use it in battle. Maybe he should look into that.

"Lucemon is not one to share his feeling," Beelzebumon spoke up, earning a suspicious look from Demon and a knowing look from Barbamon.

"You act like as if you know something about him that we don't." Beelzebumon's silence was all he needed to know and, quite frankly, it surprised him. He hadn't realized that the two were so close.

"Beelzebumon, were did Lucemon go?" Barbamon asked calmly as he gazed at the youngest member of their team.

"I promised I wouldn't tell anyone," Beelzebumon said, looking bored. Demon's eye twitched. That was just a stupid excuse to say that he wasn't going to tell them anything. "However, he'd did say anything about not telling you the reason why he left this morning."

Demon felt a headache coming on. He raised his claw to rub at his temple. The brat's sly tone was getting on his nerves as well as the run around he was doing. He was avoiding the question. "Well?" he asked, impatiently.

Beelzebumon rolled his eyes, giving him a look of exasperation. "He's mourning his brother's death."

Demon blinked, startled at the information. He hadn't known Lucemon had a brother and it seemed the others hadn't known either. "A brother?"

* * *

Ken snuggled into his savior's embrace as he slipped into a peaceful slumber with a full tummy. His savior's friends had been so kind to give him a blanket to keep him warm. It certainly was cold. Ken hated the cold. It reminded him of the Mean Man that had snatched him away from his Mama when she had been sleeping. Ken remembered the man yelling at him, holding on to him a bit too tightly as he shook him without mercy. The Mean Man was so scary! But why had Mama not woken to save him?

Ken didn't understand why his Mama said that he was going to be loved, that she was going to make sure he was protected and safe and away from his cruel Papa, and then not do anything when the Mean Man took him away! There had been another man, Ken remembered. Ken remembered hearing his voice when he was still in his Mama's womb. Mama always talked to the other man. They had been discussing about him and about a home for him, a place where he would be loved and cared for. Ken wasn't sure what they meant, though. Had they been trying to stop the Mean Man from taking him away? Had Mama been planning on leaving the Mean Man when she learned how horrible he was or the things he would do?

Ken knew he didn't like the Mean Man. Mama said he was Papa and that Papa loved him. But then why did the Mean Man refused to feed him? Why did he take away the only blanky he had? Why had he placed him in a holely bed and dumped him into the freezing cold water? And then there were the cruel words.

Ken shivered. He snuggled into the warm body a little bit more in hopes of getting away from the chill. The Mean Man had said he was bad. That it was because of him that his Mama and older brother were gone. That he was not supposed to be alive. That he was not wanted.

What did he mean? What had he done to be hated? To have his Mama and brother leave him alone? Ken continued to tremble as those thoughts swirled in and out of his mind. Was it is bad for him to wish to be loved? To be wanted and cared for?

"Shh...Shh...It's okay, Ken. It's okay." His savior's words felt so soothing, so genuine, to his ears. Ken wanted to trust his words. Mama had always told him a story about a man with blue eyes and white wings. According to Mama, this man was an angel. The angel was said to protect all children, only revealing itself to those that needed him the most. It protected those being harmed and reunited them to those that loved them the most.

Could the man in his Mama's stories be his savior?

He couldn't be sure. This world was so confusing! For a long time, he only had the love of his Mama. But he had been taken away from her! The Mean Man hated him and wanted him gone! He had woken up with those thoughts, only to be in the gentle embrace of his savior. The angel had not been very happy with something, but not at him. There were others there. Ken did not want to know who they were. It would be awhile before he calmed down and when he did, Ken realized that his savior truly liked him and was making sure he was safe and happy.

Ken was pleased with that thought. Ken hadn't minded the other strange man. He had given him a soft toy! Though, he was weird looking; but he seemed truly nice.

Ken snuggled into his savior's warm body, falling asleep instantly. He wasn't aware of the conversation between the two men, nor was he aware of the fear that filled his savior. Ken was only aware of the hope that filled him and of his dreams of being reunited with his Mama.

* * *

The woman looked so much like the small baby in his arms. She had a slim figure, despite the round belly. She had beautiful brown eyes that sparkled with so much love and concern. They were so similar to the baby's. Although, Ken had neither of his parents' eyes. So the color must have come from either the mother's or father's side of the family. Lucemon was assuming the mother, though. Same with the hair. The woman's hair was brown, but the strand seemed to look like the baby's. The two of them had a pale complexion. However, the woman's complexion did not look healthy at all.

 _"Yukio-kun, promise me you'll protect him."_ Lucemon remembered the Human Male saying that Ken's mother was sickly and the pregnancy was just adding to her already failing health.

Lucemon gazed at the woman with a heavy heart. She was standing in what remained of a nursey. The blue caterpillar wallpaper had been pulled from the walls and torn to shreds. The small worn crib seemed to have been tipped over violently since several of the wooden beams that supported it was now broken or loose. The few toys the woman must have bought for her unborn son was ripped apart, the stuffing popping out of the toy and the threading coming undone as she picked it up. A baby monitor was seen on the other side of the room. It seemed that whoever destroyed the room must have thrown the monitor at the wall, destroying that as well in the process.

Lucemon felt his own tears fill his eyes as tears freely fell down the woman's cheeks. She was rubbing her stomach absently as she held a small green caterpillar toy that had managed to survive the destruction and a small familiar blanket.

 _"Megumi-chan..."_ There was another man there. This man was tall. He had a narrow face, a long narrow nose, and black eyes and hair. He seemed to be in his early twenties, much like the young mother.

 _"I know,"_ Megumi said as she rubbed her stomach, her eyes gazing at the destroyed room in despair. _"I'm weak. I should have left him when he started getting violent with Osamu as well. I should have left him when Osamu was taken away from us."_ Megumi shook her head when Yukio opened his mouth to protest. _"You know it's true. You have been with me ever since we were kids. You were my twinkle of happiness. I was the fool for allowing Riku-san to blind me with his false promises and charm."_

 _I knew I could have tortured him_ , the Demon Lord thought grimly.

 _"Megumi-chan,"_ Yukio walked in front of the distressed woman and gently placed his fingers under her chin, forcing her to gaze at him, _"come with me."_ Lucemon's eyes widened, slightly surprised by the pleading in the man's tone. This man dearly cared about her. No, that wasn't right. The man loved her. _"We can still be a family. You. Me. Osamu."_ Yukio paused, smiling gently as he gently placed a hand over the woman's hand that was rubbing her stomach. His eyes never left those brown orbs. _"And Ken. Just like you,_ me _, and Hiroki always talked about when we were kids."_

Megumi closed her eyes, relishing in Yukio's touch. She wanted to say yes. She wanted to give into the perfect world he was describing. At first, Lucemon thought she was going to say yes. She had wanted to, but she didn't. When she opened her eyes and gazed at Yukio with so much sadness and guilt, he knew. Lucemon's already knew what her answer would be and he hated it. _"You know I can't, Yukio. I won't survive the birth."_

 _"You don't know that!"_ Yukio almost shouted as he gazed into grief-stricken eyes. He was shaking slightly, his hands gripping the other's shoulders desperately. _"You can't give up! Think of Osamu! Think of Ken. Think of me,"_ he said the last part quietly, barely above a whisper.

 _"I am,"_ she said as she tried to stifle a cough. _"Osamu will be fine with you, Hida-kun, and that lovely fiance of his."_ She paused again as another cough interrupted her. Once her cough seemed to pass for the moment, she spoke again. _"I never did get to thank you for adopting Osamu when he was taken away from us and put up for adoption, did I?"_ Yukio frowned slightly as the woman gazed at him sadly.

 _"Megumi, you don't have to thank me. I was happy to do it. But he still needs his mother. They both do, That's why you have to keep fighting,"_ Yukio tried to reason with her, but she stubbornly shook her head.

 _"Ken's still in danger, you know? Riku-san will try to kill him. I know he will. He will blame him when I die."_ Her lower lip trembled. _"You must protect him. Raise him. Love him as your own as you do with Osamu. Please..."_ Her body trembled as she sobbed. _"He doesn't deserve to die!_ "

 _"He won't!"_ Yukio pulled Megumi towards him, holding her as she sobbed. Yukio rubbed her back soothingly. As he watched, Lucemon found himself gently stroking the baby's cheek. Ken continued to sleep away peacefully. _"I promise. I will protect him."_

 _"Thank you,"_ the woman sobbed.

Lucemon moved his hand to wipe the tears that had begun to fall. The image was now beginning to fade, the image growing fuzzy and then to black as the portal returned to its dormant state. But just before the image went completely black, the woman spoke once again, this time in regret. _"You are a wonderful man, Yukio. I'm sorry I didn't notice my feelings for you until it was too late."_

 _She loved him._ The thought brought a sudden heaviness that only seemed to grow as he realized the magnitude of love and suffering the mother and her children had gone through. The woman had not been in a healthy or happy relationship. And the one she did love, she could never be with him, nor with the children, she brought into this world. She would never get to raise them as a mother should. Lucemon gazed at the baby sadly. "Your mother loved you so much." Ken only snuggled into his body a little bit more. He frowned as he noticed small little shivers. Lucemon readjusted the blankets. Was he cold? Was the blanket not enough to protect him?

"She truly was an amazing Human. We could learn a thing or two from her." Lucemon nodded as he shifted his eyes to Piemon who was gazing at the portal. "Did you want to see more?" Lucemon shook his head. No, he didn't. He didn't need to. The Human was dead. The baby saved and secure in his arms. Though, Lucemon was sure he will be panicking every now and then just to make sure the baby was okay.

Lucemon sighed. How did this day go from mourning Puttimon's death to saving the little one from his horrible fate? Lucemon rubbed his forehead tiredly. He had seen too much for today. Maybe it was time to go home.


	6. A New Beginning

_Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock._

He wasn't sure how long he had been waiting, gazing at the old grandfather clock as it mocked him with its little hands and annoying ticking.

 _Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock._

The grandfather clock was an old piece. The body was made from the wood of a dying Jyureimon centuries ago. According to Barbamon, the Digimon was too badly damaged and during that time, with all the massacres going around, he would have just been deleted, never to be reborn. It was a sad thing to think about.

 _Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock._

The clock's circular face was made from a very expensive and rare stone. The Star Sapphire, he believed it was called. The star on the stone was gold, golden trimming surrounded the edges of the face. The clock's hands and pendulum were also gold, standing out against the polished wood and white sapphire stone.

 _Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock._

The second slowly moved around the face of the clock, mocking him as it got closer and closer to midnight. His eyes lingered on the pendulum for a fraction too long, memorized as it swished back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. That was how he spent the last three hours after Barbamon concluded the meeting, watching the clock as he laid on the sofa.

 _Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock. Tick-Tock._

He hadn't really paid attention to Leviamon and Barbamon as Mega Seadramon emerged from the underground lake to report his findings when he and the others were leaving. It wasn't good was all he knew. The young Demon Lord sat up from his position on the sofa to glare at the clock that was now playing an annoying tune once it hit midnight. He had a terrible headache because of that thing. Noted, he could have just went to his room, but Lilithmon was by his door for some reason. And to be honest, he really didn't want to get into another fight with her. So here he was. Annoyed, with a headache, and with the last of his patience giving way rapidly along with the annoying tune. As the stupid rhythmic tune echoed across the room, coming to the end of its song before resetting for the next hour, Beelzebumon could not stop the irritating whine that left him upon the realization that Lucemon had been gone for more than twelve hours (or was it twenty-four?) and had yet to return.

"Where the hell is he?!"

"Who are you whining about now?" Beelzebumon froze for a fraction of a second before he glanced at the archway behind him.

"Where the fuck have you been, Lucemon? I thought you said you will be gone only for a couple hours. Do you not know the hell I had to go through for covering for you?" Lucemon walked into the room, his features apologetic as he regarded the other. Beelzebumon immediately noticed the cotton-like material wrapped around his chest and shoulder. Had he gone shopping while in the Human World? And then there was his posture. He seemed tired. His movements were slow and his body seemed somewhat stiff. But there was something else too. One hand was under the material wrapped around his middle, holding whatever he had brought home with him. Beelzebumon began to wonder what that was and where was the Digimon that he was supposed to bring home.

"Sorry, I lost track of time."

Beelzebumon grumbled under his breath. He figured as much. Although, he could understand why. He wasn't sure what he would do if he was finally allowed to mourn a sibling. Not that he would know what that was like. He was an only child as far as he could remember, but he did consider the other Digimon he grew up with as siblings. Kinda. They weren't close or anything, so maybe that didn't count. They were all distant from each other and none of them seemed to like him, considering he had been quite adventurous and determined back then. He wasn't exactly a pushover, not that he fought or argued with them at that age or anything. He just happened to know how to act and what he wanted to do once he was of age. He had wanted to return to the battlefield, to continue the fight to protect those that couldn't. He believed that was what caused the others to distant themselves from him.

Beelzebumon sighed, stretching his arms out over his head as Lucemon made his way over to him. "I probably would too if I was in the Human World," Beelzebumon admitted, allowing the instant frustration to melt away without a second thought. Lucemon was his friend; he wanted the other to understand he would always have his back. But that didn't mean he couldn't tease him or give him a hard time when the time arose. Beelzebumon leaned against the sofa, relaxing against it as he watched his friend take a seat next to him, mindful of whatever valuables he had in that carrier of his. The younger Demon Lord's interest was definitely perked. What did he bring home with him? "You owe me a new vest."

Lucemon gazed at him in confusion, his eyes momentarily gazing away from whatever was within the carrier. "Why? What happened to your...?" Lucemon's voice trailed off, his features twisting into a knowing grimace. It was a grimace that stated that Lucemon had already figured out the answer to his question. "Lilithmon."

"Princess seemed pretty worried. You might want to talk to her before she decides to hunt you down and tear those pretty little feathers off your back." Lucemon grimaced again, this time with a scowl; however, he seemed distracted this time. Lucemon's eye went back to the carrier. "Hey, what's..." Beelzebumon didn't get to finish his question, for at that moment a small movement, followed by a small noise came from within the cotton-like material wrapped around Lucemon chest. "What?"

Beelzebumon watched as Lucemon reached into the carrier and, to his surprise, picked up a small baby. The baby couldn't be more than a day old. He was very small with violet eyes and purplish-bluish hair. The little guy was cute. Beelzebumon's thoughts stilled for a moment as he thought back to what Pinochimon told him, his mind reeling with realization. _This is the member Piemon was talking about_?!

"It's okay, Ken. It's okay," Lucemon spoke gently to the baby. "I'm sorry, did we wake you?" Beelzebumon wasn't surprised how gentle and loving Lucemon was being toward the innocent child. He had done the same thing to him when he was younger. "What's wrong? Are you hungry? Do you need to be changed?" Lucemon asked the baby when he whined in response, followed by his bottom lip trembling and his eyes filling up with tears. Lucemon seemed to take that as a yes and proceeded to unwrap the baby from the blanket. Lucemon scooted over a bit to place the blanket in between them. Lucemon smiled gently at the baby as he was placed on the blanket. As he did this, Beelzebumon noticed that the child only had a makeshift diaper.

"Where's his clothes?" he asked.

The frown that the leader of the Demon Lords gave him was all he needed to know. "He doesn't have any," Lucemon said, gazing at the baby sadly. Ken blinked innocently at them as he gazed back at the two Digimon that were staring at him with sad eyes. "They're both gone. He had no one to protect him."

Beelzebumon found himself speechless. He personally knew of the evils of the world. There were Digimon out there that would hurt the young and the innocent to get what they wanted. There were young Digimon without a parent or elder to help raise and care for them. Many ended up dying in the end or turning towards the path of killing with no remorse.

Beelzebumon swallowed nervously. It remembered him too much of the Baby Massacre. There were so many Digimon that died that day, including his caretaker, and the months that followed after that. It still hurt remembering him and his sacrifice. "What happened?" he finally asked softly.

"His mother died when he was born." Lucemon's eyes were dipped with sadness. It ached to see that. His heart fell as he eyed the small, innocent child, seeing little hands reaching out for Lucemon. _Poor little guy._

Beelzebumon wanted to ask more, yet he didn't. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear it right now. Beelzebumon silently watched Lucemon soothe the baby as he proceeded to remove the makeshift diaper. Ken gazed up at him in curiosity. Beelzebumon tilted his head slightly, wondering what the baby was thinking about as they gazed into each other's eyes. "You know, he cried when he saw Piemon."

"Really? I wonder why?" The sarcasm was right on point, causing Lucemon to shake his head in amusement. "The kiddo must like me better than him then." At the mention of Piemon, Beelzebumon suddenly remembered the two bags Pinochimon gave him. "Speaking of Piemon, he gave me something to give to you." Lucemon paused mid-untying to look up at him. He had been untying the knot on the right side of the diaper when Beelzebumon spoke.

"Piemon?"

"Well, more like Piemon gave to Pinochimon, to give to me, to give to you." Lucemon blinked, confused, as Beelzebumon grabbed the two bags from the side of the sofa to place on the floor in between them.

"What's in it?"

Beelzebumon shrugged. "Don't know. I was told not to open it until you got here."

"When have you ever listened to what others tell you?" Lucemon deadpanned.

"Hey! I listen sometimes!" Beelzebumon retorted to the comment. "I've been busy."

"Lilithmon?"

"Demon too."

"Ah," Lucemon said in understanding as he reached over to open the two bags. For a second time that day, the two Demon Lords found themselves stunned into silences at what they were seeing. Within the bags were a variety of items, specifically for Ken. In the first bag, he was able to make out different outfits, several diapers, several bottles of lotion and creams, blankets, towels, shampoo, and body wash for babies, several pacifiers, bibs, socks, hats, and wipes. In the other bag was about three jars of baby formulas, several bottles, a baby monitor, and some type of baby food maker/bottle warmer machine. "How long has he been spying on me?" Lucemon asked softly as he picked up a diaper, eyeing it in confusing.

Beelzebumon's eyes twitched. His annoyance momentarily spiked. "When was he going to tell me that the member you were bringing home was a baby?" Lucemon looked at him in surprise. "Seriously?! I would have known who you were bringing home if I had just looked in the bags! I'm so stupid! Why do I even listen to him, anyway?!"

"You're not stupid, Beelze." Said Demon Lord pouted but smiled when Lucemon actually said the nickname for him. Lucemon didn't say it often, being so uptight and all, but it brought a smile to his face when he did.

"If you say, so."

Lucemon chuckled in amusement as he continued to sulk. "He knocks sense into you." Beelzebumon glared at him.

"I am very capable of doing that without him," Beelzebumon huffed.

Lucemon hummed disbelievingly at him as he returned to his task. It took the other three tries before he figured out how to open up the human diaper. In other words, he broke the first three before figuring out how to open it without ripping out the belt that held the diaper in place. Beelzebumon silently watched his friend, noticing how gentle he was when changing the baby. Lucemon seemed to be at peace as he gazed at the baby, caring for him, making sure he was nice and clean. It reminded him of something.

 _Lucey loves the kid. I wonder if he plans on raising him._ The thought didn't seem that far off, given the way he was gently handling the child. Beelzebumon had noticed the bruises on the kid's chest, arms, and back when Lucemon lifted the kid up slightly to apply some cream on the slightly red skin. _I wonder how he got those._ Once the kid had his new fresh diaper on and while Lucemon was getting up to throw the diaper and dirty wipes into the trash on the wall behind them did Beelzebumon word his question. "Are you planning on raising him?"

Lucemon didn't even pause as he answered, his eyes focused on the trashcan in front of him "Yes." Well, that explained one thing, but...

"Where did you find him?" Beelzebumon wasn't sure if Lucemon noticed the baby's slight shivering. The room was a bit cold. Maybe one of them should turn on the fireplace.

"In a basket..." Beelzebumon's eyes widened in horror before gazing at the small child who was staring straight at him with those innocent eyes of his. "In an abandoned alley." The poor little guy was abandoned? But by who? If the mother had died when he was born then what happened to the fa-

Beelzebumon didn't even bother to finish that thought. It was obvious what had happened. _The asshole abandoned his own child?!_ The Demon Lord could not stop the flood of rage and disgust that filled him as he gazed at the small, innocent child who was unaware of the horrible fate he had been saved from. He hoped the Human died for his crimes. Abandoning a child was unacceptable. Besides, the child probably would not have survived the night if Lucemon hadn't decided to take him in.

"So, does this mean you are adopting him?" Beelzebumon was still very angry, but that didn't mean he couldn't tease his friend. "Are you going to be his Papa?" He asked next, not giving the other time to process his first question. Beelzebumon smiled when Lucemon seemed taken aback by the question, considering he dropped the outfit he had been looking at.

"I...a..."

Beelzebumon's smile only grew as he gazed at the baby, the soft texture of the pad of his claw gently caressing the baby's stomach. "You hear that squirt? Lucey here is going to be your new Papa." Despite his very young age, Beelzebumon swore the baby knew exactly what they were talking about, to some extent anyway. "And I'm your awesome older brother! The Great Beelzebumon! Lord of all things fun and cool!" His little face lit up at his words and he chuckled as the baby kicked his little feet happily. He wondered if Ken had been waiting to hear those exact words since the moment he had been saved from that dreadful Human.

"You are?" Beelzebumon glanced up at Lucemon.

"Why not? I love kids," he said with a cheeky grin. "Besides, I always wanted a baby brother!" Beelzebumon turned his gaze back to the baby when he felt little hands on his claw. "You and I are going to be the best of friends," he sang, much to the baby's enjoyment. "We are going to watch TV together and play games and we can create plans to annoy the big bad Demon together and - OH! - when you're older I will teach you how to ride Behemoth!"

"Not until he is twenty-five," Lucemon deadpanned. Beelzebumon pouted upon seeing the crossed look on the other's features, his arms resting tightly across his chest. Lucemon was dead set on prolonging Ken's motorcycle lessons as long as digitally possible.

"You're no fun." Looks like he's going to be one of _those_ parents.

"Ken is far too young," Lucemon insisted. "You are not endangering his life with that monstrosity of a machine."

"Behemoth is not a monster!"

"Tell that to the last owner of that thing!"

"Behemoth doesn't like smartasses who think that they can do what they want with him," Beelzebumon protested as he pulled the baby off the blanket and hugged him, much to the baby's liking. "Besides, who could hate this little guy?" The baby's joyful squeals seemed to soften Lucemon fierce expression and, quite frankly, seemed to erase the disgust and rage he had felt just moments ago. The baby was quite the influence.

"We'll see," Lucemon said finally as he reached down once again to grab the outfit Piemon had been nice enough to gather for them. Once Lucemon had it in his hands, however, they realized they were faced with one of the many problems they would be facing that night.

"That looks a little too big for the squirt," Beelzebumon said, ignoring the feeling of gums sucking on his claw. Lucemon frowned as he reached into the bag to grab another outfit. That one was a bit too big as well. They all were actually. The only thing that seemed to be small enough for the baby was the diapers and socks.

"Dammit," Lucemon swore under his breath as he straightened, offering Beelzebumon a green pacifier. "You wouldn't happen to have any newborn clothing by any chance?"

Beelzebumon wiggled his claw out of the baby's mouth before popping the pacifier into Ken's mouth. The newborn blinked, surprised by the odd sensation between his gums before happily sucking on it. "I should." He remembered snatching some interesting baby clothing when he and Pinochimon traveled to this odd looking planet about two months ago. It was some kind of alien market and they were selling human merchandise, along with other species across that galaxy. He had gotten a lot of stuff for cheap that day. "Why don't we head to my room?" Beelzebumon suggested as he got up, the baby still secure in his arms. Small little fingers curled around the material of his blue nightshirt. Beelzebumon smiled as he glanced down to gaze into curious eyes. "I don't know about you, but I will feel better once he has something warm on. He looks a little cold."

Beelzebumon looked at Lucemon then, noticing an odd look on his feature. At this very moment, Lucemon was as readable as an open book. He was in awe, surprised even. Was it really that strange that he and Ken bonded so quickly? Beelzebumon wasn't at speed on what the kid went through, obviously. He assumed it was bad. But Ken seemed like a tough kid. His innocence had not been tainted. He would be alright. He just knew it.

But seeing the baby cold and hungry did not sit well with him. And neither did Lucemon. The elder Demon Lord's soft features morphed into one of concern. Lucemon gently followed Beelzebumon example, stepping away from the two bag to stand in front of them. Lucemon noticed the shivering then. A warm hand rested on the baby's forehead.

"He's a little warm," Lucemon said, his frown deepening. Beelzebumon frowned as well. Was the baby getting sick? They both looked at the baby then. Ken was still sucking his pacifier happily as he was being held, unaware of the bubble of worry forming in the pits of his new caretakers' stomachs.

"Maybe its the change in temperature," he suggested. "It's a little colder here than at the Village of Beginnings." Beelzebumon had recognized the blanket being from one of Swanmon's homemade collection. The Digimon was a master seamstress and tended to create blankets, outfits, and quilts for the surrounding villages and them. Beelzebumon really wouldn't be surprised if the Digimon was at home gathering materials to create cute little outfits for Ken. He vaguely wondered what cute designs she would weave into the material.

"Maybe," Lucemon said, unconvinced. "Could he have gotten sick from the rain?" The question wasn't spoken to him. Lucemon seemed to be talking to himself now, looking torn and disturbed all at the same time. He was lost in his memories, most likely thinking back to the moments when he found the baby all alone, soaking wet, and crying for help.

"Rain?"

Lucemon shook his head. He didn't want to talk about that right now. Or at least didn't want to talk about it while the baby was present and gazing at them with those wide eyes of his. Dropping the subject, for now, recognizing the look of concern on Lucemon's face. Ken didn't seem like he was catching a cold. He seemed fine. "I'm sure he'll be fine," Beelzebumon tried to reassure his friend as he tucked the blanket around Ken's body. Ken seemed absolutely delighted that he was being cared for and loved. "He's probably feeling the draft coming from the windows. He'll feel a lot better once he's dressed in something warm and fed."

"I hope you're right," Lucemon said as he smiled worriedly at the baby. When Ken showed no indication that he was feeling under the weather, the other relaxed a bit, relieved that the baby was okay. "Are you hungry, Ken?" Lucemon asked as he bent down to grab the clothing, wipes, and creams he had been using earlier, returning them to the bag. He even removed the cloth carrier and single toy that was within it and placed them in the bag as well. Ken excitedly hit his little hand against Beelzebumon's chest, making little baby noise as he did so. Beelzebumon chuckled.

"Hey! Easy where you hit, squirt," Beelzebumon teased as he continued to laugh. Lucemon laughed as well as he zipped up the bags, holding each one in his hands.

"Don't worry, Ken. Once we get you something warm to wear, we'll make you a nice warm bottle of milk. How does that sound?" Ken repeated the gesture, seeming even more excited than before. The two Demon Lords smiled at each other, laughing at the small baby's antics as they made their way out of the living room and towards Beelzebumon's bedroom, where they hoped to find a suitable outfit for the new addition to their group.

* * *

It was about a quarter to nine when he had gotten a message from Piemon for this unexpected meeting. It wasn't exactly odd for them to have their own meetings, separate from their Lords. The meetings were sometimes less tense then the ones Lord Barbamon had with the other Demon Lords. Majority of the time, they would get together to exchange information after reporting to their respective Lords. Other times, they would gather together to figure out their best move or to deliver messages from their respective Lords or Mistress. More often then not, it was Piemon who delivered on those messages, considering he had the rare ability to teleport, traveling quicker than the rest of them. That ability sure helped a lot when they needed to relay messages to each other when they weren't close to each other.

However, it was still rather puzzling that Piemon would want a meeting now after having one the night before. They had all been aware that the Demon Lords would be having a meeting, given the destruction that had occurred that morning. He paused in his inner mulling, his mind reeling to that morning. It was still very painful to see the homeland of his birth completely destroyed. He wasn't as attached to the land and the Digimon that lived there as his sister was. He hadn't really fit in with the other Digimon during his youth. He had been a rebellious, unusual Digimon, even at such a young age. He had been considered a weak Digimon, being too small and too weak to amount to anything, and deemed unusual for his ideas.

For so long, he had been seen as a waste of space. His parents had not wanted him. He was a disappointment. He couldn't fight like the warriors of their village could. He wasn't as smart as his sister. He couldn't protect anyone with his size and power. He couldn't help cultivate the land or create weapons or even wield them for that matter. All he had been good for was to sit around and be mocked at and be alone with his strange little dreams for a better world. He had been the Digimon that everyone pitied, for he wasn't good for anything. He wasn't a warrior, a Medicine Man, a Chief, nor a hero. He was nothing.

His parents had always favored his sister. He hated it and, at one point, he had hated her. But Lady Devimon was the only one that understood him. She practically raised him when he had been kicked out of the village. They had hoped he would die or man-up as his father would always tell him. He had been so young at the time, but he was just glad to have his sister. It had been because of her love and effortless searches that he had been taken in by Barbamon. The great Demon Lord had seen great potential within him and had taken him in as his apprentice.

Within three long years, he had finally achieved the impossible - he evolved. That one evolution and the powers he wielded and learned as the years went on had allowed him to surpass his own sister and the warriors of this homeland. But it had only gotten better. He knew his sister was very proud of him and supported him when Barbamon recruited them to be this second in command. It was the highest position one could get at the Virus Court.

It was funny how fast things got turned around after the damaged had been down. His parents had actually had the nerve to send a telegram to welcome him back home once they got wind that their son was the Lieutenant General of Greed. And now...they were gone.

Vamdemon wasn't sure how he felt about that. He didn't feel happy, nor sad, nor relief, just empty. Vamdemon had spent hours trying to understand his feelings. Why did he feel nothing for them? And then he remembered why. There had been only one Digimon that had taught him what life had to offer. Only one taught him the true reason why they continue to fight in this war, despite the odds, despite the pain. There was only one that taught him that there were still 'mons out there that were still kind. That hope and light still existed in the vast darkness that had covered the lands and sky. That they could still fix it. That they could still restore the peace that the hatred of war had damaged, someday.

Barbamon had done so much for him. He owed Barbamon his loyalty and life. He would do anything for his Lord. If Barbamon asked him to gather a team to hunt down the remaining members of the Holy Alliance, he would. If he was asked to go on a secret mission (without his sister), he would. If he asked him to finally remodel this old castle as his own and accept the position as King of the Undead by the many Digimon that looked up to him, he would. He owed Barbamon everything. The elder had done so much for him, why wouldn't he do the same?

And then there was their current predicament. It was worrisome that not just one, but five supply bases had been discovered and destroyed. It didn't make any sense. How was the Holy Alliance (at least what was left of them) managed to find and destroy the bases without a single survivor? It was a very bad situation. With this much death, it could take years before the fallen could be reborn.

"It sure has been awhile since we've been here." Vamdemon shifted his gaze away from the _enlightening_ conversation between Pinochimon and Mugendramon to gaze at the 'mon standing behind him. Well, it had been quite some time since he had seen the other.

"Don't you mean that you've been too busy to attend a meeting with us, Gennai?" Devimon asked from across the table. He seemed to have grown bored of the "mysterious bags" that Piemon had given Pinochimon several hours ago to give to Lord Beelzebumon.

Now to say that Gennai was a Digimon was a bit inaccurate. Gennai's origins was a bit unknown. He couldn't evolve and didn't have an evolution line that they were aware of. He also didn't have any attacks or set moves, like the rest of them. He did have the ability to manipulate data, much like Nanomon, and had the ability to change his appearance at will. At the moment, Gennai was a young man, in his mid-twenties. He had brown hair, baby blue eyes, and wore a blackish-grayish rob.

"I do apologize for that," Gennai said sheepishly as he took a seat next to him. Skull Satamon, who had come in with Gennai, took up a seat next to Devimon. The two soon got caught up in their own conversation. "I'm afraid I've barely had any free times these days."

"Let me guess..." Vamdemon crossed his legs over each other as striking blue eyes stared into baby blue, resting one arm on the table. His finger tapped on the smooth surface of the huge oval-like table as he spoke to his friend. "Demon has become even more paranoid since the destruction of one of his weapons base." Gennai grimaced accordingly, his hand running through his hair in an exhausted manner.

"You have no idea," Gennai replied tiredly. "It's one assignment after the other. I'm lucky that I actually get a few hours of rest."

"I hope you're not overworking yourself again." Vamdemon, Gennai, Lady Devimon and even Devimon, Skull Satamon, Mugendramon and Pinochimon (who had been engrossed in their own conversations) looked up to see the beautiful Mastemon walking in, along with Archnemon, Mummymon, and Devidramon.

"Believe me, I try not to."

Almost everyone was here. All they were missing was Piemon and Metal Seadramon. Vamdemon glanced towards the huge open pool that Pinochimon opened up when he arrived an hour ago. The pool of water remained as still as the night. Where was that clown and that overgrown serpent? As if the two could read his thoughts, the pool of water began to shift and move. It wasn't long before Mega Seadramon emerged from the hole in the ground, followed by Piemon teleporting in his usual dramatic fashion.

"Well, I guess everyone is here then." Piemon's smile was broad as his feet landed on the stone floor, the huge stone door stood innocently behind him. Piemon stood at the far end of the table, where several buttons and his throne resided.

"You better have a good reason for this meeting, Piemon?" Archnemon snarled from her throne. Many of the others nodded their heads in agreement, silently wondering what this unexpected meeting was all about. "I have better things to do than be here and chit-chat! Don't you even know what time it is?"

"I assure you, my dear," Piemon said dismissively, "there is a general purpose for this meeting. In fact, it is crucial that you all pay attention to what I'm about to tell you today." This caught everyone's attention. Vamdemon glanced at his friend, noticing that he was just as alert as the rest of them. Had something else happened?

"Did something bad happen?" Mastemon spoke softly, her angelic and demonic wings twitching in her anxiety.

Piemon regarded them all with a smile. His smile didn't help put them at ease. It was one of those unreadable smiles, a smile that suggested that if it was bad or not was entirely up to them. "That my dear is up for your interpretation, but I wouldn't call it a bad thing. Maybe more...surprising, if anything else."

"Meaning?" Mummymon asked next, hoping to get a straight answer out of Piemon and not one of his mind games.

"I'm sure you are all aware by now that Lucemon had gone missing some time this morning." Piemon's eyes shifted to Gennai, who nodded in confirmation.

"He left just before dawn. No one seems to know where he went, though."

"I did."

"WHAT?!"

"YOU DID?!" Mummy yelled

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL US?!" Devimon growled, his claws slamming the table.

Piemon regarded the now furious Devimon and Mummymon calmly, not all that disturbed by their outburst. "It was not my place to tell. I was told by Lord Beelzebumon to keep an eye on Lucemon. To make sure that he was okay, considering the circumstances of today."

"What's so great about today?" Vamdemon had to ask. It was now nearing midnight, making it almost twenty-four with no word from Lucemon. They all knew that Devimon and Mummymon had been searching tirelessly for Lucemon for hours. They had stopped their search just about two hours ago and were going to restart the search early the next morning.

"Today, many centuries ago, Lord Lucemon lost someone very precious to him. Someone so precious that he never got to properly mourn until today." The anger and rage that Devimon and Mummymon had been sending at Piemon died down instantly. None of them were immune to the effects of war. They all lost someone precious, but not to the extent of the Demon Lords. They had been in the war longer, meaning that they had lost a lot more. More then one should. "I will not go into details on what happened. It is not my story to tell. What I will tell you is that Lucemon had been on Earth this whole time, mourning the death of a young one."

No one dared to say anything. They all took a moment of silence for the life that had been taken. For the young life that had been ripped from Lord Lucemon's hands all those years ago and for causing him so much pain that he had to escape the Digital World, just for a little while, to mourn and to grieve.

"Guess we can cancel the search party," Mummymon commented weakly into the silence. Devimon nodded, looking just as disturbed and stupid as the other must be feeling.

"So he's returned then?" Devimon asked then, searching Piemon's eyes for confirmation. Piemon nodded. The two physically relaxed at that.

"So what was in those two bags that you told me to give to Lord Beelzebumon to give to Lord Lucemon and what about that new member he's supposedly coming back with?" Pinochimon asked impatiently. He was never the one for patience.

"I'm getting to that," Piemon replied, looking only slightly annoyed at his fellow lieutenant for revealing so much in a matter of seconds.

"What new member?" Everyone else asked, gazing at Piemon questioningly.

Piemon sighed. "Like I was saying, I was tasked with keeping an eye on Lord Lucemon," Piemon continued with his story, but not before eyeing Pinochimon with a disapproving glare. The other paid no mind. "While he was there, he witnessed a horrible incident." Everyone stiffened, not liking where this was going. Piemon pressed a button on the table, activating the hologram machine. A hologram of a Japanese man holding a basket was seen on the screen. Vamdemon stared at the screen in part confusion and part dread. The man's clothing was worn, obviously, he was poor. His cheek was somewhat sulking and misery, pain, and hatred filled the man's eyes. From just the hologram alone, Vamdemon could tell this man was up to no good. But what really concerned him was the sound of a wailing baby. The Human Hologram shook the basket vigorously. His features were hard as he glared at the basket.

"THERE'S A CHILD IN THAT BASKET!" Mastemon, who had since removed her helmet a little while ago, gazed at the hologram with absolute horror. Tears filled bright green eyes. Damn, even his own sister's were looking a bit misted.

"This Human is the child's father." The disgust in Piemon's voice did not go unnoticed. "The child's mother died due to childbirth." Piemon paused, allowing the information to sink in. "His man blamed this child for her death and had tried to end his life." The image changed, revealing the man tower over the frightened child. The child was incredibly cold. He was being drenched in the rain of what they assumed was in the middle of the beginning of a bad thunderstorm.

"How dare he? How dare he? How dare he?" It was not uncommon knowledge that Mastemon had once been a mother herself, having raised two children before they died in combat, forcing her to return to the battlefield to seek justice for their unfortunate deaths. So seeing Mastemon completely losing it for a small child that was not her own, who was obviously cold and hungry and terrified, was something they had seen coming a mile away.

"I hope you have a reason for showing us this," Archnemon snapped at Piemon as she and Lady Devimon attempted to calm down the enraged Ultimate. Piemon was not fazed by the emotional tirade of his female comrades. Vamdemon, not for the first time, wondered about Piemon's sanity.

"Actually, I do," Piemon said with a smile as he pressed another button. The image changed once again. Only this time, the man was nowhere in sight.

 _"Shh, it's okay, little one."_ For as long as they have known Lucemon, the Demon Lord of Pride was very well known for being cold and ruthless, and very distant. He was an excellent leader and did care for the wellbeing of his comrades. However, this was the first time they have ever witnessed Lucemon being so very gentle and kind. _"I'm here, now. I promise everything's going to be all right."_ Lucemon was getting drenched in the rain that was pouring on top of him, his wings sagged a bit from the added weight, but that didn't seem to matter. Lucemon was not concerned about his own discomfort. In fact, his full attention was on the small child being cradled in his arms. Vamdemon was actually quite surprised to see the fierce and at times emotionless expression morphed into one of gentleness and love and concern. Lucemon was being so very caring and protective of the small child.

The image soon changed again. This time, Lucemon was at the Village of Beginnings and he was feeding the small child. The child was happily eating from the bottle and to their immense surprise, Lucemon was smiling. Vamdemon couldn't remember ever seeing Lucemon smiling before, nor ever seeing this side of him. This was certainly a surprising change.

"Oh! He's so cute!" Vamdemon winced, covering his ears as Mastemon got over her distress in a matter of seconds, squealing in delight as she fluttered to the hologram in the middle of the table. The rest of the lieutenants did the same, minus Mega Seadramon, Mugendramon, and Devidramon, who did not have hands. The female angel cooed at the image of the happy baby. "He's adorable," she said with a giggled as she fluttered around the hologram. Vamdemon groaned. Mastemon was the most bipolar Digimon he had the unfortunate pleasure of meeting. She was a powerful ally and not one to take lightly despite her annoying girlish traits. After a moment of cooing at the child, Mastemon planted her feet on the table and shot a dark look at Piemon. "Lord Lucemon better have killed that loathsome creature."

"Mastemon!" the other two female members yelled.

They all groaned in exasperation. Yes, Mastemon was definitely bipolar. It still baffled Vamdemon how such a sweet and kind Vaccine Digimon could be nice one minute and downright cruel the next. _She's just as crazy as Mistress Lilithmon._

"Do not worry my dear, Lord Lucemon took care of it."

Mastemon's features softened, pleased at what she was hearing. "Good. If he didn't, I would of." _Correction, maybe more so._ Mastemon gently traced the small baby's cheek with a soft, loving smile. "Lord Lucemon will be a wonderful father." This caught everyone (minus Piemon) by surprise. Everyone gazed at her like she had lost whatever common sense she had.

"What makes you think he'll be raising the child?" Archnemon questioned, her red eyes narrowing in disbelief. "He'll probably just give the child to Swanmon and Elecmon."

Mastemon turned to look at them. There was a knowing look in her eyes that revealed the caring, knowledgeable side of the mother she had once been. "Archnemon, you have never had children, nor a sibling to protect, so you will not understand the extreme urge to protect the young and the innocent." Archnemon scoffed at that. "But by looking at Lord Lucemon caring for the small child, it is quite obvious that, given his age and his history with women, the 'mon he had lost was most likely a sibling." Vamdemon stiffened, shocked that Mastemon had managed to figure out so much by just a simple hologram. Then again, Mastemon was directly connected to the aether, able to gather information and travel to other dimensions at will. It was no wonder why she was Lilithmon's second in command. "He is not going to give up that child, not after saving him from a fate that must have reminded him of his own sibling."

"She right." They all turned to Piemon who was, too, a bit taken aback that Mastemon was able to pull so much information so quickly, but he was also rather pleased. "Lord Lucemon didn't save the child to simply give him up to another."

"WAIT?!" Pinochimon jumped to his feet, his face morphed into one of total shock. "Don't tell me that this new member is...is..." Pinochimon pointed to the hologram, his eyes wide as they all connected the dots. A collective of gasps filled the underground chamber, followed by Mastemon's and even his own sister's squeals of joy.

"Ladies and gentlemon," Piemon announced with a broad smile, his arm waving in front of him as if he was introducing someone of high standards. "Let me introduce you to Ken, our newest Lord."

* * *

"LUCEMON!"

Lucemon should have known that Lilithmon would be annoyed with him. He'd barely spoken to her in months, only talking to her when they needed to discuss strategy against the Holy Alliance. He would always leave or give her the cold shoulder when she wanted to talk about _them_. And when she finally managed to corner him, he would brush off her concerns, her feminine desires to reconnect what they once had, and the truth of what really happened that day. He had been too afraid to learn the truth. So, as a result, he ignored her pleas. He ignored the feelings that dwelled within him. He ignored the overwhelming want to make her smile, to laugh, or to simply kiss her. He pushed her away over and over again. He was afraid. And now, it might be too late.

Lucemon stood frozen, staring into furious blue eyes as the female Demon Lord marched down the hall towards them. Lucemon gazed at her, truly gazed at her. Lilithmon was beautiful. She wasn't the strong-willed angelic blond that strived to be better than her father, to treat and save others with peace and love. She was much more than that. She was a strong, independent beauty. She was even more stunning now than when she was Ophanimon. Lilithmon was more curvy, more outspoken, more demanding, more feisty, more headstrong. Had he really ignored her for that long?

Lilithmon had every right to be mad at him. He had ignored her for what? Weeks? Months? Years? He couldn't be sure, but it was enough to make him gaze at Beelzebumon with a nervous look. Beelzebumon shrugged, unsure of what his friend should do. The two of them turned their attention to the newborn briefly when he began to hit his small hands on Beelzebumon's chest. No matter what Lucemon chose to do, they still had a baby to cloth and a small mouth to feed.

Beelzebumon smiled at the baby as he turned to open his door. "Come on, squirt. Let's find something nice for you to wear."

Once Beelzebumon was within his room, Lucemon turned his attention to the furious Demon Lord. Lilithmon stood mere inches away from him. Her face was flushed with anger, her eyes were narrowed slits, and her teeth were grinding against each other. She was obviously holding back the rage or at least going through what she should yell at him first.

As the two stared at each other, Lucemon saw anger and hurt in her blue orbs. Lucemon could stare into those sea of blues for hours, but seeing that soul-ridden hurt deep within those orbs caused a deep ache in his chest. He so desperately wanted to pull Lilithmon into his arms and just chase those feelings away, to express how sorry he was because after all this time, after all the things he had done, he still _loved_ her. He felt like a fool. He pushed her away for so long, all because he feared of the damage he must have caused her that day. He truly believed that he failed her when he arrived late that day. Truthfully, he had only been late because he had wanted to propose to her. He just didn't know how to ask her. His foolishness had cost her her life. He had been unable to save her. But the guilt he felt was greater than that. He knew he failed her when he realized that he had changed her - both in soul and body.

"Lucemon?" Lucemon didn't remove his gaze from those blue orbs as he spoke.

"What is it?"

"If you and Princess are going to argue, ya might want to do it at Barbamon's study. You and Princess missed a pretty important meeting. He would want to brief you."

This time Lucemon did remove his gaze from those blue orbs to gaze into red ones. "A meeting? What meeting?"

"Barbamon's gonna have to tell you about it." The youngest of the Demon Lords was leaning against the doorframe of his room, his eyes sparkling in amusement. Lucemon frowned slightly. He had a bad feeling that something had happened while he had been gone. It had to be about the Holy Alliance. Could it be that the Four Great Leaders finally came out of hiding? Had another one of their camps been attacked? Had the prisoner revealed something troubling? "Don't worry about the kiddo. I'm sure I can find something suitable for him to wear before your briefing is over." Beelzebumon stepped away from the doorway, allowing Lucemon to finally spot Ken on his bed. The baby looked so happy laying on a huge soft bed, gazing at the various colors and toys Beelzebumon had neatly displayed around his room.

Lucemon was unaware of how quickly he was falling into the role of a parent as he gently smiled at his new little charge. The sudden smile startled Lilithmon, causing her to just watch in stun silence. The smile soon fell when Lucemon thought of something. "Don't forget to feed him. He hadn't eaten in a couple hours. I'm sure he's hungry by now."

Beelzebumon groaned sourly, his eyes narrowing at him like he had grown two heads. Obviously the other was annoyed with him too. "Ugh. You're going to be one of _those_ parents."

Lucemon narrowed his own eyes at the comment, slightly offended at the tone the other used. "What's that supposed to mean?" If he had been paying attention, he would have seen Lilithmon's eyes widen slightly in surprise and those same eyes gazing at him in confusion and a hint of hurt.

"It's exactly as it sounds," Beelzebumon stated simply as he snatched the bags out of his hands. "Annoying and waaay overprotective." Lucemon felt a migraine coming. _Annoying and overprotective? Where in the hell did he get that idea from?_ "Now if you excuse me, I believe the squirt needs some proper clothing," said Beelzebumon as he stepped back into his room. Beelzebumon then smiled teasingly at him. "Oh and Angel Boy? Princess?"

Lucemon groaned at the stupid nickname, while Lilithmon perked up at hers. "Yeah?" she asked, still very confused on what he and Beelzebumon were even talking about. But Lucemon had a bad feeling that she was putting the pieces together and picturing the most worse and untrue case scenario.

"Do me a favor and don't argue outside my door or even in this hallway." They both frowned. One in confusion and the other in realization. "You wouldn't want to frightened poor Ken with all your arguing and bickering." Lucemon stiffened. That would definitely not be good. He had just saved Ken from one nightmare. He didn't need to be brought into another. The poor baby must be traumatized enough. Lucemon already knew he was not going to be sleeping well tonight. "What would he think when he hears his _Mama_ and _Papa_ ar-gu-ing?" Beelzebumon practically sang the last part.

"MAMA?!" Lilithmon sputtered next to him, her voice filled with surprise as she gazed at Beelzebumon, who was now bellowing in a full-fledged laugh. Lucemon could only watch in horror, his own face very warm at the bombshell his comrade had just revealed. He hadn't even gotten to make amends with Lilithmon yet and Beelzebumon was already declaring her as Ken's new mother figure. Hell, he wasn't even sure if Lilithmon even wanted to help him raise a baby. He was already making a huge risk bringing Ken here. He could get hurt so easily. He was an easy target for the Holy Alliance. Lucemon knew he would need to put Ken's needs first over his own. But would Lilithmon be able to do that as well or even want too?

Lucemon closed his eyes, signing deeply as Beelzebumon closed the door with his foot. The other was still laughing from their reactions, but he wasn't done. "And no making-out either!" Lucemon groaned, deciding it was not appropriate for a small, innocent baby to hear such grownup things. In a way, Beelzebumon was right. Ken didn't need to hear the events of their personal affairs, nor did he need to be reminded of the events that had transpired that night. All Ken needed to know was that he was loved and would never be abandoned ever again.

With an exhausted sigh, Lucemon turned towards Lilithmon who was stilling staring at the door. Lucemon opened his mouth to say something, but Lilithmon's words beat him to it. And what she said felt like he was being stabbed with a sharp, bloody knife. "What did you do, Lucemon?" Lucemon's mouth felt dry as bright sea blue eyes stared into deep sky blue. "When were you going to tell me that you were seeing someone else? That you had a child together?" Her eyes were bright and shiny, the depths hurt of betrayal and pain.

"Lilithmon, it's not what you think. I am not seeing anyone else."

"Then why?" she shouted desperately. "Why don't you speak to me? Why do you push me away?" Her voice shook a little with a sob. "All you do is push me away. You've shut me out of your life ever since that day! It's like you don't want to remember all the good times we had in the past." Lilithmon finally broke eye contact, leaving him to feel quite hollow inside. "I know I'm not that 'mon anymore, but what we had together...had it truly meant nothing to you? I love you! I've always had!" Tears freely leaked from their confinements. Lilithmon did nothing to wipe them away. "You used to be so sweet to me. You used to make me feel so special and loved." She sniffled. "And now...it's like I don't mean anything to you."

Every word felt like he was being cut open, one after the other. He knew he did her wrong, but he never realized it was this bad. He never realized how much of an ass he had been. No amount of sorries would ever heal the wounds he inflicted on her, but he would try regardless, just to get that sadness out of her soul and mind.

What Lucemon did next was purely by instinct. He moved his hands to gently cup the now tearstained face. He lifted the face to gaze into tearful eyes. Lucemon didn't even think as he rested his lips upon Lilithmon's.

* * *

The kiss had been so unexpected that it took her a moment to realize that this wasn't a dream. That she wasn't being fooled by her mind, only to find herself waking up from one of those wet dreams, all alone and in tears. But as Lucemon held her so gently, pouring his heart into how sorry he was, revealing how much he still loved her, Lilithmon knew. She knew this was not a dream. He was here with her, kissing her, and not walking away like she wasn't there. He wasn't leaving her behind. For a frightening moment, she had believed that Lucemon didn't love her anymore, that he had found someone else. Why else would he have a child? Why else would he be trying to distance himself from her? Why else would he avoid her like she was the plague? But that one kiss seemed to chase all the doubts away. If only they could stay that way forever...

"Will you two get a room?!" Beelzebumon's obnoxious voice was heard from the other side of the door. "You are going to corrupt the kid with your mushy-mushy nonsense! Yuck!"

Lucemon broke the kiss but didn't pull to remove his hands from her face, or their closeness. She smiled, seeing the look of total bafflement on his face from Beelzebumon's last comment. "As much as I hate to admit it, he's right," he said as he rested his forehead on top of hers. "I don't think it's wise for Ken to hear this. He's too young. Besides, he's been through enough for one day. Why don't we head to Barbamon's study as Beelzebumon so kindly mentioned earlier."

Lilithmon pouted at him when he pulled away. She had wanted to keep kissing him. It had felt so nice, something she had not done since she had been Ophanimon. She kinda wanted to strangle Beelzebumon now for interrupting such a perfect moment. "You have a lot of explaining to do."

"I know," he said with a sigh. "I am sorry for the way I treated you. I don't deserve your forgiveness. But I am prepared to answer any questions you may have."

Lilithmon smiled up at him, her beautiful face brightening. Lucemon didn't need any forgiveness. She had forgiven him long ago, even for the stuff that wasn't in his control. But there was still something that bothered her. "I'm annoyed that you left without telling anyone. Not even Devimon and Mummymon knew where you were and they have been conducting a search party all day." Lucemon cringed at that. Lilithmon narrowed her eyes slightly in disappointment. "I want to know why you left and where you have been all day." But that could wait, there was something else she wanted to know first. "But first, I have to know, who is this child and why did you bring him here?"

Something about the conversation between the other two had been bugging her. The way Lucemon was talking about the child and the way his body language was talking gave the bad impression that something bad must have happened to the child. Something so bad that Lucemon had to take the child away from whatever environment he had been in and then bringing him here of all places. The caste wasn't exactly the most safest place for a small Digimon. Lucemon had been very worried when he told Beelzebumon to make sure he fed the child. Just how young was this child? And how long had it been since he last eaten?

Lilithmon felt a roll of disgust in the pit of her stomach. When she was a small child herself, when her mother had still been around, her mother had always talked about how she would be a wonderful mother when she grew up. She had always been so gentle with her toys and to the plants that scattered throughout their yard. She had even helped her mother take care of the young babies. That dream had always been a part of her long after her mother had died from a raid. She had hated the feeling of helplessness when her mother passed. She had been closer to her mother then her father and when they were forced to travel, he tried to change her, to make her into a warrior, someone he could control. He had disapproved of a lot of things that she knew her mother would have encouraged her to do. This war had changed him, that was a fact she hated even 'til this day. She remembered wanting to help other Digimon that were neglected or abused. Those who could not afford to care for their young. Those who were too sickly and would have ended up dead in a matter of hours, days even. It had deeply disturbed her when her father told her to just keep walking when she saw several Child or Baby Digimon being neglected or terribly abused by their parent or attempting to fend for themselves due to losing everything.

 _"It is all part of war,"_ he would always tell her and she would hate it to the bottom of her core. She knew that one day, when she found a kind, loving Digimon to settle down with, she would cherish that child and make sure she or he were always protected and loved. It had been a long time since she welcomed those thoughts. Centuries ago, there had been many Digimon that wanted her hand in marriage. They had all been handsome, strong, intelligent and were even likable and wealthy. However, they had been a bit too controlling, not approving of her independence. They had wanted to separate her from the outside world. She had refused to be a trophy they could brag about, while she was stuck at home, unable to help those that truly needed protecting.

And then she had met Lucemon. Oh, she knew Lucemon had been different from the start. He had many high ranking female Digimon in his unit. He had respected them to the fullest and never belittled them or restricted them. They had been allowed to speak their ideas, without backlash. As they got to know each other, she saw the Digimon for who he truly was. She had seen the mon hiding underneath that cold, emotionless mask. On the outside, he was seen as a cruel, ruthless Digimon, that had no emotions, that only cared about defeating his enemies and ending this god-awful war. But that was not true at all. He was honorable, fair, very strong, and very gentle and kind. But what truly took her heart was his determination to protect life, all life. The young, the poor, his allies, and even former enemies.

Lucemon valued the lives of the young, the innocent. He had always made sure they were cared for first and protected from the horrors of this war. It was a hard thing to do for one mon, but it had been a dream so similar to hers and so unlike her father's. It wouldn't be until they went on one of their secret dates, well into their relationship, when she learned of Puttimon and of his childhood friends. Lucemon had loved his brother and the way he died was cruel. It had been Puttimon's dream to live in a world in where they would all live in harmony, in peace. He had looked up to his brother, knowing he would make it happen. She was sure that Lucemon was slowly losing sight of that dream, they all were.

They had been in this war for far too long. They had unfortunately gotten used to seeing many young Digimon (both young children and babies) being abused, neglected, and even abandoned by their parents. Many children were orphaned, left alone to die, either by the hands of nature or by the enemy.

Lilithmon had always hated that part of the war. It was an evil she wished no child had to face. It was the worst kind of evil in the world. Seeing it always filled her with a strange kind of emptiness. An emptiness that reminded her of their failures, the promise that they could never keep, the lies they had to tell themselves to sleep at night, to continue fighting the next day.

"His name is Ken." As Lucemon talked, Lilithmon couldn't stop thinking of the horrors this small little Digimon had to go through. Had this little darling been abandoned or neglected by his parents, forcing Lucemon to take him away? Or had the child lost his parents by the hands of the rebellion or by one of the Great Leaders? It sickened her to think that, so much so that she had to move her legs to follow Lucemon as he began to walk away from Beelzebumon's door. "And before you get the wrong idea," he added upon seeing the pained look on her face, "no, he is not my child. I found him."

She kinda figured that out already. No offense to Lucemon, she loved him dearly, but he could be so stubborn at times when it came to opening up and getting close to others. With how busy the war had been keeping them, she doubted Lucemon would have allowed someone to get close to him enough to conceive a baby. It was very unlikely, considering how long he had been pushing her away with that well-constructed wall of his. But this did confirm her fears. Lucemon had found a child being neglected by his parents, being abused, or he had been an orphan with nowhere to go. Despite what others believed, Lucemon wasn't cold-hearted. None of them were, actually, despite the rumors and how they lead their troops in this war. Well, Demon might be cold-hearted and cruel. She could never really tell with him, but that was not the point. The point was that Lucemon would never allow a child to be harmed any longer if he could do something about it. It was what she loved about him.

"Where? What happened?" She was afraid of what horrors he would reveal. It pained her to think about what horrors this child must have been through. And if she was right, the reason Lucemon's body language tightened as if he was holding back his rage and disgust, was because it was sinister and inhumane.

"In the Human World."

"The Human World?" Lilithmon stopped walking, gazing at Lucemon with wide eyes. "Why were you there?" Had he been in the Human World this whole time? She was surprised he hadn't been spotted by them. He didn't exactly blend in after all.

Lucemon's eyes took on a very sad look. It was one she was very familiar with. There were so many emotions in those eyes, which were usually guarded and cold. She had to pause for a moment, to think. There was only one Digimon that Lucemon ever showed sadness, and loneliness, and regret for. And then she remembered the date.

"Puttimon," Lilithmon gasped. The Goddess of Darkness never met the little darling, but she had heard enough stories from Lucemon to know that he had never truly properly mourned his death. "You went to mourn his death, didn't you?" It was moments like this that she was glad she didn't have any siblings. She wasn't sure if she would have been able to survive the loss of one. As soon as that thought came, however, Lilithmon immediately felt disgusted with herself. How could she possibly think that? She wasn't heartless to look down on one who had siblings that had died. She had sometimes wondered what her life would have been like if she had a younger brother or sister when she was younger. She _should not_ be thinking like that. She was not her father.

"Yeah," Lucemon said with a sad smile. He had that far away look in his eyes. There were so much loneliness and guilt in them. Lilithmon hated seeing him like this. If only she could make it all go away or at less make the loneliness and sadness reside just a bit. "Sometimes I wonder if I had been just a little bit quicker..." Lucemon's face pinched up slightly in pain. "Maybe if I had just been a bit more powerfuller...a bit more smarter...he might still be alive today."

"Oh, Lucemon." Lilithmon didn't know what to say to that. None of the things she wanted to say would make him feel better. Puttimon was gone forever. His data forever deleted thanks to one of the low lives that served under one of the other Four Great Leader. Lilithmon gently placed a hand on his bicep, unsure of what to say. Lucemon's shoulders were shaking ever so slightly. "I'm sorry. I know this much be hard for you. You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Lucemon placed a hand over hers, shaking his head ever so slightly. "No, it's fine. I'm. Fine," Lucemon added softly. She wasn't sure who he was trying to convince: her or himself. It was a while before he spoke again. "For a long time, I had blamed myself for allowing us to get caught on that day. The Holy Alliance had wanted a powerful angel on their side and...I refused. They thought that kidnapping and killing my brother would convince me to cooperate." Lilithmon gave his shoulder a small squeeze. She remembered this story all too well.

"You evolved instead."

"Yes," Lucemon said, his eyes closing to block the tears that wanted to fall. "He...he had been so scared...and you know what?"

"What?" she asked, her own eyes misting.

"He was the bravest out of all of us," Lucemon voice cracked towards the end, a sob finally escaping. "I don't know how, but he...he knew he would die. He accepted it, despite being scared." Lucemon wiped his eyes with his sleeve. "The last thing he said to me was to never give up, to remember our dream."

Lilithmon wiped at her eyes. He was right, Puttimon was the bravest out of all of them and he had only been a baby. He would have been a wonderful leader. "He would have been proud of you, Lucemon." She knew Lucemon didn't believe it, but she did. Lucemon had saved so many, more then all of them combined.

Lucemon smiled at her after several moments. "Thank you." Lilithmon smiled in turn, gently lacing her fingers with Lucemon's. Lucemon didn't pull away as they returned to walking down the hall. "He would have liked Ken." Lilithmon hummed at that, waiting for Lucemon to continue. "Ken is just a baby himself. He's so innocent, so full of life and hope." Lilithmon's eyes widened in horror. A baby? He was just a baby? "Ken lost his mother when he was born," Lucemon continued, his eyes filled with sadness and rage. "His father had abused him and attempted to leave him in an alleyway in the freezing rain. He didn't even care that the little one was scared and just wanted to be protected and warm and loved."

Lilithmon was horrified. How could someone be so cruel to a small baby? It was worse then she thought. "The _Human_ did not deserve a quick death." That caused her to stop in her tracks, which caused Lucemon to stop as well, considering they were still holding hands.

"A human?!"

* * *

"Well, it's about time they kissed and made up." Beelzebumon silently watched the two demonic angels walk away. The two were standing so close together. _Gag!_ It was like that hadn't been avoiding each other for years and years. How was that even possible? Oh, well.

Beelzebumon shook his head as he closed the door behind him, turning to face his little charge. The two were so alike that it was kinda scary; like he wanted to bash his head on the wall and down in the water scary. They were both so stubborn, both so annoying, and both so love crazy that they were driving each other insane and everyone else for that matter. Beelzebumon had been so tempted to lock the two in a cell somewhere in the dungeons and not come back until morning. Was that a horrible thought?

Beelzebumon pondered that thought for a moment, pondering the pros and cons. Technically, yes. It could be, but he didn't need to do that now, now did he? The two practically came together on their own and he had a funny feeling there was a certain baby to thank for that, even if he was unaware of what he was doing. Beelzebumon smiled at his self-proclaimed little brother, who was still gazing at the splotches of paint he had thrown at the walls the other day when he had been in a...creative mood. "Mama and Papa are so silly, aren't they Ken?" Ken blinked in response. The Demon Lord hadn't really expected much from the baby, but the widening of his eyes and the toothless smile he gave him was something to ponder over.

Beelzebumon only vaguely wondered if calling Lilithmon "Mama" was a wise move or not. Was it wrong for him to make the little guy think that his Mama was Lilithmon? Lucemon had said she died giving birth to him, but did Ken know that? He was a baby. A baby who had been abandoned by this father.

Beelzebumon gazed at the cooing baby, chuckling softly as small hands reached out for him. Well, he guessed it didn't really matter. If Lucemon was going to be the kid's father, then it's only fair that Princess becomes the kid's mother. Beelzebumon smirked, thinking about Lilithmon's reaction, as small little finger attempted to wrap around his smallest claw. "Okay kiddo, this is what we are going to do. Your big brother is going to see if he has something warm for you to wear and then we're going to go to the kitchen to get some grub." Ken squealed happily at the idea. Beelzebumon smirked as he pulled away from the baby and made his way to the wooden chest located near the foot of his bed.

Beelzebumon had lots of clothing he had gathered throughout the years. Now it was only a matter of finding something that would fit Ken. The Demon Lord had quickly realized that finding the right outfit was not an easy task. He had a variety of clothing of all sizes, coming from a variety of planets and dimensions. Beelzebumon frowned, tossing the clothing aside as the ones he picked were either too big or too girly. Why was it so hard to find a simple newborn outfit Ken's size?

"Where is it? I know I had newborn clothing here somewhere." Beelzebumon continued his search. Clothes were now scattered on his floor, but he didn't care. He needed to find something for the kid to wear. He refused to allow him to wear nothing for the night. After what felt like an hour of searching (though, it was only twenty minutes or so), Beelzebumon finally found three newborn outfits that were Ken's size. "Ah, ha! Here we go!"

Beelzebumon smiled broadly as he held the three onesies. The fleece material of the sleepwear felt very soft to the touch and quite warm. It was a plus that the onesies had little footsies. Beelzebumon took comfort in knowing that Ken's feet would be protected from the cold; he wasn't sure if Ken would stay still enough to allow him to put socks on him. Beelzebumon held out the outfits to Ken. Hopefully, these will last a couple of months. It was hard to tell, given how fast humans tend to grow.

"So what you think?" he asked as he showed Ken the onesies. The first was a pearl white with different colored shapes decorating the outfit. The second was a green outfit with yellow sleeves. It had an elephant on the right breast. The third was a light blue outfit that was decorated with several green and pink caterpillars. Beelzebumon eyed that one curiously for a moment. It kinda looked like him when he was younger. It was kinda cool, actually. Ken must have agreed with him since little hands were reaching out for that one. He smiled. "Ha, me and you are _so_ going to be best friends!"

Beelzebumon tossed the other two aside before starting the long, confusing process of dressing the small baby. Beelzebumon was more careful then Lucemon, making sure he didn't rip the zipper when he tried to open it. He wasn't sure how he managed it, but he had and the proof was right there in front of him.

"How's it feel?" Ken moved around in response as he felt the soft material on his skin. Ken seemed very pleased, which meant that he was pleased, which would also mean that Lucemon would be happy and would not bother him about the kid being cold tonight. It was supposed to be a bit chilly tonight. Beelzebumon had to chuckle at that. Who would have thought that Lucemon would be that kind of parent? He never thought Lucemon would be the overprotective type.

With a smile, Beelzebumon turned his gaze to the duffle bags and proceeded to search for a baby bottle, a bib, and the jar of baby formula. Once the desired items were in his claws, Beelzebumon returned his attention to the baby. Unfortunately, Ken had decided that his hands were now food.

"Hey," Beelzebumon scolded playfully as he placed the items on the bed and began to take Ken's hands out of his mouth. "Your hands are not food." Beelzebumon reached for the wipes and began to wipe the drool off of them as well as cleaning Ken's pacifier, which was on the bed a few inches away. "Suck on this until we get to the kitchen, alright?"

Ken, however, did not like that idea. Instead of sucking on the pacifier like he had been doing earlier, he'd spit it back out. Beelzebumon sighed at the baby's antics, slightly glad he had decided to clip the thing to the outfit beforehand. He was sure the thing would have ended up on the floor.

With a roll of his eyes, Beelzebumon placed the bib on the baby, before scooping him into his arms. "Alright. Alright. We'll do it your way." Ken squealed happily as Beelzebumon grabbed the bottle and formula and made his way out of the bedroom. However, Beelzebumon had not been expecting Piemon to be on the other side of his door, his hand raised. "Dammit, Piemon! Don't scare me like that!" Beelzebumon had been careful not to drop the baby when he jumped back. Although, Ken seemed quite happy for the ride.

"My apologies, My Lord," Piemon said, not looking sorry at all. Beelzebumon would have come out with a retort if it weren't for the fact that Ken squealed when he saw Piemon.

"Why hello again, Little Lord. What a cute outfit you're wearing. Did Lord Beelzebumon pick that one out for you?"

Beelzebumon puffed out his chest, about to respond to the question. However, that was before he realized what his lieutenant called the baby. "Little Lord?"

Piemon smiled at him, quite pleased with the baffled look on his face. "It would be rude to not address him as such," Piemon said. "He is one of us now."

Beelzebumon frowned slightly as he exited his room, allowing Piemon to close it for him. "Lucemon is not going to like this. I doubt he would want the kiddo involved in this war."

"Of course he wouldn't," Piemon agreed, "but that is not the reason for the title."

Beelzebumon remained silent as he waited for his lieutenant to respond. "Well?" Piemon didn't answer until they were in the kitchen, which was empty. Beelzebumon wasn't really surprised. It was well past one. The majority of the staff would be in their bedchambers by now.

"You and the other Demon Lords are going to be raising him. He will change the way we do things and change all of you," Piemon said as he grabbed the jar and bottle from him in order to prepare Ken's meal. "He will change all of us, actually." Beelzebumon was stunned for a moment. _He's been looking at the Viewing Tree again,_ he concluded. But what did he see?

"What you mean?" Piemon didn't pause as answered the question.

"He is the key to the survival of this world." Once he was finished preparing the bottle, Piemon turned towards him. "But enough about that, I have some important matters to discuss with you."

"Like?" he asked as he grabbed the bottle, offering it to Ken.

"About what Lucemon didn't tell you about what happened on Earth."

* * *

The two demonic angels found Barbamon exactly where Beelzebumon said he would be. They hadn't expected Leviamon to be there though, talking to the other. The tension in the room had already been high and thick from the briefing, but it was even more so as Lucemon came to the end of his story. No one said anything as Lucemon finished, not even Leviamon, who tended to be just as talkative as Beelzebumon. Lilithmon looked around the room and it was obvious that they were all feeling the same thing: rage. Absolute rage. And horror. Horror for the human baby for what could have happened to him if Lucemon had not been there.

It was a horrible thing to have a baby being condemned to death even before he got to take his first breath in the world. Only a monster would attempt to deprive a child of his first sight of the amazing colors life had to offer, his first sounds, his first crawl, his first words. It horrified them to know that Ken could have lost his life if Lucemon hadn't heard those little wails; if he hadn't seen the baby held hostage in that cold, wet basket; if he hadn't been in the Human World in the first place.

All the annoyance and anger Lilithmon had felt just hours ago were now replaced with dread and sadness and a new wave a pain. Lilithmon absolutely adored children. It scared her that a human could be so heartless, so cruel to a small innocent baby. Lilithmon had wanted to torture the human, to tear his heart right out of his chest and then to see his lifeblood flow out of him as he died, praying to whatever god he believed in. _That filth should not have died a quick death,_ her thoughts roared in her mind. The baby deserved justice!

Lilithmon gazed at the others, her eyes misted. _He wouldn't have survived the night_. Humans were such fragile creatures. They didn't have powers, like them. They couldn't evolve or get stronger. Their bodies were weak, fragile, in comparison to Digimon and other creatures. They were prone to getting sick easily and could die from the simplest of things. It was sad really. Maybe this was why humans were never happy with what they had. They were always trying to find ways to improve themselves, to better themselves; and yet, they ended up hurting others of their kind, belittling them, making themselves better than those under them. Those creatures seemed to thrive on war, on hatred, on competition.

If it wasn't for the fact that they knew there were kind, compassionate humans out there, they would have thought that the humans had no soul, no compassion. They were so quick to judge, to harm, to blame. But they were only human after all. They were a newer species. They didn't even have the ability to travel to other worlds. They didn't know of the wonders of the universe and maybe it was best that they didn't. They were not ready if they could not protect their young and old.

Lilithmon shook her head at the thought. _Are we any different?_ They had many Digimon that were suffering because of this war, a war that was still going. It was never ending! But at least they weren't heartless monsters. No, they certainly were not. They might be the Demon Lords. Many Digimon fear them, fear their power. But they would never harm a child, a baby, an innocent. They _were not_ murderers. Babies were precious beings. They were the future of their world, fragile creatures that needed to be loved and cared for, protected until the very end.

Ken was no different, despite being a human. He was more fragile and grew at a slower pace than a baby Digimon. But they weren't so different. Ken might not have powers and he wouldn't be able to protect himself at this age. He wouldn't be able to protect himself against a Digimon regardless. But that didn't mean he didn't deserve to be loved, to be raised in a loving environment. He deserved that and so much more.

"Lucemon, you do realize the harm of bringing a baby here, don't you?" They all gazed at Barbamon. Along with Belphemon and Demon, Barbamon was one the oldest. He had been around for a very long time and had seen many horrible things in his youth. The centuries had molded the elder Digimon to be wise and cautious. Most of the time, he was the voice of reason as much as they hated it at times. He made them think before they did something rash. This was exactly what he was doing now. They all had to know Lucemon's reasoning for thinking that bringing a child, a human child, to the Digimon World was a wise move.

"I do."

Barbamon turned his gaze away from the vast ocean and land to gaze at Lucemon. "Then you must know that he will be targeted by the Holy Alliance. They don't care that he is a baby. They will attempt to kidnap him, use him against us or even worse - kill him."

Lucemon's eyes hardened as his hands gripped the armrest of the lounge chair they were sharing. Lilithmon held Lucemon's other hand, giving it a small squeeze. Lilithmon hated that Lucemon was hurting. She knew that Lucemon must be thinking about Puttimon's death. If Ken died, he would never return. He couldn't be reborn. It would have been final, just like Puttimon's.

Ken's life would still be in danger, however. Her father would eventually find out about him and would try to harm Ken just to get to them if they weren't careful. That truly scared her. She gazed at Lucemon for a moment, knowing that he would not change his mind.

"I am well aware of that," he said tightly, his face blank of emotions.

"Really, Lucemon?" Barbamon asked with a questioning frown. "You could have just left him at the Village of Beginnings. Swanmon and Elecmon would have been fully capable of raising the child. They do it all the time."

Lucemon didn't miss a beat. "I have known Swanmon and Elecmon for ages. They are my best friends, my childhood friends. I am well aware that they could have protected Ken and raised him into a nice young man."

"But?"

"But," Lucemon took a deep breath. "I have to do it. For a long time, I have forgotten what it was like to protect another. Puttimon's death had affected me so much. It blinded me.

But, seeing Ken...seeing him being harmed...seeing him crying for someone to help him...to protect him...to love him..." Lucemon's voice broke for a moment and it took him several more deep breathes before he could talk calmly again. "I have to do it," he said firmly. "I failed to protect my brother when he needed me. He never gave up on me. He always trusted me to do the right thing. And I know this had to be a sigh from him."

Lucemon paused for a moment and just gazed into Barbamon's eyes. The other held it calmly, patiently. "You weren't there to see the way Ken looked at me. He wasn't afraid of me. He wanted me to protect him, to save him. He knew I would. I can't abandon him. Not now. Not ever."

Silence filled the room and this time the tension seemed to slowly ease away with the smile and nod Barbamon gave him. "Very well. That's all I needed to know." Barbamon gazed at the both of them for a long moment before continuing. "Lucemon, I believe you are right. Your brother wouldn't want you to keep mourning his death, fighting aimlessly until the day you die. He would want you to find something or someone to fill the void he left behind. And I think the baby you saved will be the one to heal those wounds."

Lucemon smiled, a genuine smile. "Thank you."

"No need to thank me," Barbamon said, dismissively, his hand slowly running through his long beard. "You are a good leader, Lucemon. The best. You will always have my support."

"Mine too," Leviamon and Lilithmon added with smiles of their own. Lucemon smiled at them, looking genuinely happy. Maybe they could really become closer, like a family.

"Where is the little guy?" Leviamon asked curiously.

"With Beelzebumon," Lucemon said, more relaxed now that the tense conversation was over. "He had made it his mission to be the best big brother Ken will ever have."

This caused Leviamon to laugh and Lilithmon to groan. "Don't you mean he's going to spoil him rotten and teach him all sorts of bad habits?"

"Hey! I resent that!" Lilithmon blinked, turning her attention to the door. And surprise, surprise, Beelzebumon was there in all his frightening glory.

She lifted her chin and gave him a leveled look. "So you're saying that you _won't_ spoil him and teach him your bad habits?"

Beelzebumon gazed back at her with a smirk and a shrug, his head tilted ever so slightly. He was obviously pretending to think over the question. "Well, I never said that."

Lilithmon snorted. "You are such a bad influence."

"Am not!"

Before the argument could continue on, which they all knew was going to happen any minute now, Lucemon released her hand. Everyone watched as Lucemon raised from his seat and made his way towards Beelzebumon. A genuine smile was still gracing Lucemon's features as he inspected the little bundle in Beelzebumon's arms. It was only then when they noticed that the bundle was a baby.

Lucemon gently plucked Ken from Beelzebumon's arms. Ken cooed at Lucemon as he was cradled in his new father's arms. The baby looked so happy, so at eased. Though, that could be because he was now fully clothed and warm. "Now this is more like it," Lucemon smiled at the baby, his finger gently wiggling in front of the baby's face. "So much better than that old blanket of yours, hmm?" Ken only squealed as he attempted to grasp Lucemon's fingers. The baby looked so genuinely happy. He was content in being held, in addition to being given so much attention in such a short amount of time.

Beelzebumon chuckled. "Squirt here likes caterpillars." Lucemon's brow raised at that.

"You let him pick, didn't you?" Beelzebumon smile only grew.

"I might take him to Stingmon Village one day. He'll love it!" He didn't exactly deny the question.

"Not until he's a little older," Lucemon said protectively. Everyone chuckled in amusement, while Beelzebumon groaned in total exasperation.

"Are you serious?! Don't tell me he has to be twenty-five just for him to spend time with other babies his age!"

"Don't be ridiculous, Beelzebumon," Lucemon said, looking at the other Demon Lord with an unamused frown. "Ken is too young right now. Maybe when he begins to crawl then we can discuss a trip to Stingmon Village."

Beelzebumon grumbled under his breath along the lines of "overprotective parent" and "he will rebel when he gets older." Lilithmon covered her mouth with a hand to hide her laugh. It was always amusing to see Beelzebumon not getting his way. Said Demon Lord glared at her. "Oh, don't think you are in the clear Princess!" She scowled at the nickname. "Just wait until Ken wiggles into that cold heart of yours." Who was he calling cold? He smirked. "I'm sure kiddo here would want to be in his Mama's arms just as much he would want to be in his Papa's."

Lilithmon froze. Her whole body tensed up slightly as the words sank in. Her? A mother? She had always dreamed of having her own kids. But to raise a human baby, someone else's child? _She's dead,_ a sly voice told her. _He has no one else to be his mother figure._ But wouldn't that mean she would potentially be replacing Ken's real mother? She was dead, yes. She would want him to be happy, to be loved by whoever took him in. But it wasn't right. She couldn't make the little one think that she was _his_ mother. It would be cruel. Besides, he wouldn't even know the difference. He was so young.

"Lilithmon?" She wasn't sure what to think. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before lifting her eyes to gaze at Lucemon. Lucemon had returned to sitting next to her, looking at her in uncertainty. "Don't listen to him. You don't have to help if you don't want to." Lilithmon's eyes widened slightly. Why would he say something like that? "I don't want to pressure you into caring for him. I can raise him myself."

She didn't say anything once he finished. All she could do was gaze at him and the small child. He was so small, so young. There would be things that Ken would need to know as he got older that only a mother could teach. Lucemon was obviously going to be the father figure and Beelzebumon the non-overprotective, goofball of a brother. But Ken needed a mother figure as well. Lilithmon bit her lip, torn between what to do. But that all disappeared when violet eyes turned towards her.

Ken's eyes widened in surprise upon seeing her. Lilithmon found herself in awe. He was adorable. How could anyone seek to harm such a cute little thing?

"A! A!" Lilithmon found herself a bit surprised when she saw wonder, happiness, and relief in those eyes. The baby's whole face brightened as he looked at her. _He thinks I'm his mother?_ That was the only logical thought that came to her as Ken reached out for her, wanting to be reunited with his mother. Relieved that the words the horrible man had told him were lies.

But she wasn't his mother, not the biological one. When Lilithmon didn't respond right away, a look of hurt crossed Ken's feature. It was starling to see the baby looking like he had been kicked. His hands lowered and his big violet eyes gazed at her in disappointment and hurt. Why was he so close to tears?

"Lil," Beelzebumon said from behind her, placing a hand on her shoulder. It was always a surprise when Beelzebumon becomes serious. He was a very laidback and go with the flow type of Digimon. So hearing him so serious was surprising. "I'm not sure if Lucemon knows this, but I was told by Piemon that the _Human,_ " the word rolled off his tongue like he had eaten something sour, "yelled at him that his mother left because of him. That she was gone because of him. That he was not wanted, not loved. That he was a mistake."

All the Demon Lords looked stunned and outraged, but Lucemon and Lilithmon were even more so. They both looked at the baby, finally understanding what the baby must be thinking as he gazed back at them, close to crying his little heart out. He truly thought that Lilithmon was his birth mother. And he thought that she didn't want him, that she hated him, just as that horrible, horrible human told him. Lilithmon could not stand the thought of the horrible things the baby must have been told and what was now swirling in his little head.

Without a second thought, her mind made up, Lilithmon reached out her hands towards the baby. "Can I hold him?" Lucemon nodded, gently helping her hold Ken correctly so that she was supporting his head. She smiled sweetly at the baby, using the tip of her knuckle to dab at the tears that began to gather at the edges of his eyes. "There, there, darling. There's no need to cry." She cradled him, rocking him gently. All the teachings her mother taught her ages ago came flowing back. "Mama was just surprised, that all."

Lilithmon smiled at Lucemon, who was looking at her in surprise. But he didn't say anything. There was nothing to say. Lucemon returned the smile, relief reflecting in those orbs of blue. _Is this what it feels like to be a mother?_ "You are such a brave boy," she said lovingly, "going through that all alone with that awful man." The two of them smiled down at the baby, watching as the tears all but disappeared. "He won't hurt you ever again." Lilithmon gazed at the baby lovingly, watching as he smiled at her. Seeing that innocent joy seemed to lighten her soul, reminding her of the love she had been missing ever since her mother died. "I promise, Mama will always protect you." The baby returned to cooing, genuinely happy as he nuzzled her breasts ever so slightly.

Everyone froze. The last time someone touched Lilithmon like that died a slow and painful death. Four pairs of eyes looked at her expectingly. Their expressions were so funny that Lilithmon laughed. Did they really think she was going to hurt a small child for just expressing his basic needs? "I'm sorry darling. I'm not carrying any food for you."

Beelzebumon chuckled nervously behind them. Lilithmon glanced over her shoulder to see Lucemon glaring at Beelzebumon sharply. In one claw was a baby bottle, still filled with milk.

"I told you to feed him!"

Beelzebumon handed her the bottle. "He gave me an attitude when I tried," he protested weakly, looking slightly offended.

"How in Shakamon's name can he give you an attitude?" Lucemon growled at him, his eyes narrowing slightly in annoyance. "He doesn't even know the meaning of the word!"

"He didn't want me to feed him!" Beelzebumon growled back, his right eye twitching slightly. Lilithmon simply shook her head. Everyone was on edge; she just hoped they didn't start killing each other.

Lilithmon took the bottle from Beelzebumon, offering it to the baby. It took a moment for Ken to latch on to it. When he did, he happily began gulping down big, hearty gulps of milk. "Hey," she chided the baby gently, "Slow down. You're going to give yourself a tummy ache." The baby paused for only half a second before resuming his gulping. Lilithmon didn't comment, deciding to simply watch the baby as he ate. She wondered how long it would take for the baby to understand that no one was going to deprive him of his meals? It was a hard thought to swallow. Lilithmon pushed that thought and several others away, for now, opting to gaze at the baby as he had his meal.

It wasn't long before the baby's eyes began to droop, his sucking slowing as he got sleeper and sleeper. Lilithmon assumed it was due to his tummy becoming full. Though, it could also be from exhaustion finally catching up to him.

Lilithmon gently removed the bottle from the baby's gums, noticing that he hadn't finished it. She frowned. "Is it okay that he didn't finish?"

Lucemon shrugged. "I believe so. Swanmon mentioned that due to his age, he will eat less during the initial feeding. But he would need to be fed frequently. Every three hours or so. So we would need to be on top of it. Same with his changing."

She looked at him. "So we are taking turns then," she yawned. "It wouldn't be fair for you to say up all night feeding and changing him."

"I would appreciate it," he replied with a yawn.

"I think it's time to call it a night," Barbamon said, causing them to all nod in agreement. "We will discuss arrangements for a nursery in the morning as well as discussing this matter with Demon."

"There's an extra room on my floor," Lilithmon suggested. She knew many of the other ladies lived on the same floor, especially Archnemon, who had her own issues regarding men. Many of the ladies had negative feelings regarding them. She just hoped it would be fine. Ken was technically just a baby. They couldn't hate him or judge him just because of his gender.

"I will discuss this with Demon in the morning," Barbamon said with a nod before he left the study. Leviamon and Beelzebumon soon left afterward, with Beelzebumon talking to the other about what Piemon had told him. She and Lucemon were soon left alone in the study with the sleeping baby.

"So what do we do now?"

Lucemon looked at her. "What you mean?"

"Ken doesn't have a bed or a room. Where will he sleep?"

Lucemon rubbed his eyes. "He can sleep in my bed for now. I wasn't planning on him sleep anywhere far from me anyway. Not after what happened today."

Lilithmon gazed at the sleeping baby, frowning slightly. It would be hard to take turns caring for Ken's little demands and needs. They were both on different levels and just thinking about going up and down those stairs was enough to make her sigh and want to crawl into bed and sleep the night away. The different floors and rooms were an issue, but what if... "Can I sleep with you too?" That may have come out wrong. Lilithmon flushed, realizing how inappropriate and intimate it sounded.

Thankfully, Lucemon seemed too tired to think of the alternative. "I guess that could be fine. It would be a pain waking up just to go up and down the stairs."

Lilithmon smiled. "Exactly what I was thinking."

Lucemon yawned before gently taking the sleeping baby from her. "I'll let you go change then. I'll see you later."

Lilithmon smiled as they left the study, parting ways. Lilithmon was a little embarrassed at what she had suggested. They still had some issues to work out and Lucemon was obviously not ready to be that intimate with her. But with the new addition to their _family_ , she knew they would get there. Lucemon was actually talking to her, actually touching her. He was openly allowing her back in. She smiled as she made her way to her room. Maybe having a baby was what they need to finally bridge the gap that had widened between them. Maybe it was what they needed to finally heal, to form a new beginning.


End file.
